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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


MENTAL  AND  MORAL  CULTURE, 


POPULAR  EDUCATION; 


BY 

S.   S.   RANDALL, 

GENERAL   DEPUTY   SUPERINTENDENT  OP  COMMON  SCHOOLS  OP  THE 
STATE  OF  NEW   YORK. 


INCLUDING    A    SPECIAL    REPORT 

ON 

COMMON   SCHOOL  LIBRARIES, 

PREPARED  IN  PURSUANCE  OK  THE  INSTRUCTIONS  OF  THE  SUPERINTENDENT 

OF   COMMON   SCHOOLS  J 

BY 

HENRY  S.  RANDALL, 

COUNTY    SUPERINTENDENT    OF   COHTLAND    COUNTT. 


N  EW    YORK: 

C.   S.   FRANCIS   &  CO.    252  BROADWAY. 
BOSTON: 

J.  H.  FRANCIS,   128  WASHINGTON  STREET 
1844. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1844,  by 
C.    S.    FRANCIS    &.    CO. 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


stack 
Annex 


495 


Sf 


TO  THE  REVEREND 


EDWARD    ANDREWS, 

LATE     RECTOR     OF     CHRIST     CHURCH,     BINGHAMTON, 

THIS    WORK 

55 

IS    RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED 
M 
E-i 

g 

S 

§  HIS  SINCERE  FRIEND  AND  GRATEFUL  PUPIL, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


400527 


1' 

9 


*'    » 


/ 


CONTENTS. 


Puge. 
INTRODUCTION,       7 

CHAPTER  I. 
THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  EDUCATION, 11 


CHAPTER  II. 
PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE,   ...    23 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  NATURE  AND  MISSION  OF  GENIUS,   .......    4£ 


CHAPTER  IV. 
PHILOSOPHY,  ..............    58 

CHAPTER  V. 
FORMATION  AND  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  CHARACTER,    .    .         85 

CHAPTER  VI. 
INCONSISTENCY  OF  CHARACTER,  ..........    103 

CHAPTER  VII. 
PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION,  .............    127 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
'COLLEGES,  ACADEMIES,  AND  COMMON  SCHOOLS,      .    .    .    140 

CHAPTER  IX. 
..COMMON  SCHOOL  LIBRARIES,      .....    .....    176 


INTRODUCTION. 


IN  the  present  awakened  state  of  the  public  mind  in  reference 
to  EDUCATION,  every  thing  connected  with  a  subject  of  such 
magnitude  and  importance  becomes  peculiarly  interesting.  The 
indifference  which  has  heretofore  prevailed  in  reference  to  our 
institutions  of  elementary  instruction  is  indeed  surprising,  but  not 
more  so  than  the  disregard  manifested  towards  a  variety  of  other 
subjects  connected  with  the  developemeut  and  cultivation  of  the 
intellectual  and  moral  faculties  of  our  nature.  The  truth  is,  the 
great  principles  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  the  mental  improve- 
ment of  our  species  have  not  been  brought  home  to  the  masses  of 
the  community,  with  a  force  at  all  proportional  to  their  importance, 
or  in  a  manner  adapted  to  their  clear  comprehension.  The  most 
ignorant  are,  in  general,  the  most  selfish;  and  even  in  those  rare 
cases  where  no  higher  motives  can  be  appealed  to  than  those  of 
individual  and  personal  interest,  serious  inquiry,  followed  by  ener- 
getic action  in  the  direction  leading  to  the  portals  of  knowledge 
and  wisdom,  will  be  almost  sure  to  ensue  from  a  skilful  application 
of  the  selfish  principle  to  the  objects,  means,  and  ends  of  existence. 
Convince  the  man  who  aspires  to  nothing  higher  than  mere  worldly 
wealth,  and  who  apparently  lives  for  no  other  or  greater  object 
than  the  gratification  of  hi?  animal  nature,  that  the  enjoyment  of 
uninterrupted  health  dep'  nds  upon  the  obsewance  of  certain  con- 
ditions, the  greater  part  of  which  are  subject  to  his  own  control, 
and  he  becomes  at  once  a  student  of  physiology,  and  will,  in  due 
time,  in  all  human  probability,  ascend  in  the  scale  of  intellect  and 
civilization,  until  he  becomes  an  enlightened  and  useful  member 
of  society.  Convince  him,  also,  that  the  uniform  practice  of  virtue 
and  morality,  in  all  the  varied  relations  of  life,  is  not  only  compati- 
ble with  the  acquisition  and  enjoyment  of  wealth,  and  the  rational 
gratification  of  the  physical  appetites  and  wants,  but  absolutely 
indispensable  to  their  continued  and  secure  enjoyment,  and  he 
becomes  at  once  a  moral  and  benevolent  man.  In  like  manner, 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

convince  the  most  careless  and  indifferent  individual  that  the  -pres- 
ent and  future  happiness  of  his  children  is  placed  in  a  great  measure 
at  his  own  disposal ;  that,  at  every  stage  of  their  progress  towards 
the  maturity  of  manhood,  it  is  in  his  power  to  give  such  a  direction 
to  their  ductile  minds  as  will,  in  all  probability,  insure  their  welfare 
in  all  coming  time,  while  it  promotes  their  present  enjoyment;  and 
.that,  for  any  neglect  in  the  judicious  exercise  of  the  immense  power 
thus  conferred,  the  penalty  will  be  visited  upon  him  in  the  shape 
of  bodily  and  mental  sufferings  endured  by  his  offspring  as  the 
direct  and  inevitable  consequence  of  such  neglect; — let  him  be 
well  and  thoroughly  convinced  of  all  this,  and  he  becomes  a  most 
efficient  and  intelligent  promoter  of  every  institution  for  popular 
education.  Add  to  this  a  conviction  that  nine  tenths  of  all  the 
children  of  the  republic  in  which  he  lives  receive  the  greater  part 
•of  their  intellectual  (we  cannot  say  their  physical  and  moral)  edu- 
cation in  the  primary  institutions  of  learning ;  that  his  own  children 
must,  throughout  their  future  life,  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  a 
public  opinion  to  be  formed  and  sustained  by  those  whose  mental 
discipline  is  thus  matured;  and  that,  by  the  influence  which  he  may 
exert,  in  connection  with  those  by  whom  he  is  surrounded,  those 
institutions,  instead  of  being  nurseries  of  idleness,  immorality,  or, 
at  best,  of  barren  elementary  instruction,  may  become  the  temples 
wherein  the  beaming  innocence  of  spotless  childhood  may  be 
•clothed  with  knowledge,  and  wisdom,  and  virtue,  day  by  day  and 
hour  by  hour,  without  parting  with  its  sinless  purity  of  nature ; — 
let  these  facts  and  these  principles  be  impressed  upon  the  mind  of 
the  most  selfish  and  worldly  man  community  contains  within  its 
bosom,  and  he  becomes  a  practical  reformer  in  the  much  abused 
and  greatly  perverted  system  of  COMMON  SCHOOL  EDUCATION. 

We  are  accustomed  to  complain  that,  in  a  great  majority  of  in- 
stances, our  primary  schools  are  lamentably  inefficient ;  that  they 
have  utterly  failed  to  accomplish  the  objects  for  which  they  were 
designed ;  that  they  have  miserably  disappointed  the  hopes  and  ex- 
pectations which  were  formed  from  their  introduction  and  diffu- 
sion broadcast  throughout  our  land.  But  we  forget  to  ask  whence 
arises  this  deplorable  state  of  things ;  and,  what  is  still  more  cul- 
pable, we  neglect  to  inquire  whether  the  remedy  is  in  our  power, 
and,  if  so,  what  it  is.  If  the  husbandman  should  sow  his  field,  in 
every  direction,  with  the  choicest  grain,  and  should  thenceforth 
abandon  it  to  its  fate,  or,  at  best,  look  on  with  a  cool  indifference 
and  neglect  to  its  progress,  should  we  be  surprised  at  the  compare- 


INTRODUCTION. 

live  failure  and  inefficiency  of  his  crop  ?  True,  the  founders  of 
our  institutions  were  at  immense  pains  in  laying  broad  and  deep 
the  foundations  of  primary  instruction ;  and  had  their  descendants 
faithfully  and  conscientiously  cooperated  in  their  enlightened  views 
in  this  respect,  and  carried  up  the  superstructure  in  its  admirable 
and  beautiful  proportions,  our  country  would  have  been  advanced 
at  least  a  century  in  all  those  intellectual  and  moral  qualifications 
which  adorn  humanity.  But  the  eager  prosecution  of  wealth,  the 
active  spirit  of  speculation,  the  immense  variety  of  material  inter- 
ests necessarily  incidental  to  the  developement  of  the  vast  resources 
of  a  rapidly  expanding  civilization  in  a  mighty  hemisphere,  hitherto 
comparatively  unpeopled,  and  the  diversified  combinations  resulting 
from  the  pressing  claims  of  self-interest  and  personal  and  political 
ambition ; — all  these  predominating  motives  impelled  to  a  course 
of  action,  and  originated  and  maintained  a  public  sentiment,  essen- 
tially independent  of  the  claims  of  primary  education,  as  that  term 
is  now  beginning  to  be  understood.  The  common  schools,  the 
high  schools,  the  academy,  the  college,  and  the  university,  all, 
indeed,  existed.  Outwardly,  their  organization  was  as  perfect  as 
circumstances  would  admit.  For  successive  generations,  the  great- 
er part  of  the  children  of  the  republic  were  duly  transferred  from 
the  nursery  to  the  district  or  free  school,  thence,  at  the  proper  time, 
to  the  high  school  and  the  academy,  and  finally  "  finished  their 
education  "  at  the  college  or  the  university.  For  all  the  active  and 
practical  purposes  of  life,  they  were  thenceforth  deemed  abundantly 
prepared.  In  all  this  routine,  thus  universally  followed  and  uni- 
versally countenanced,  the  two  most  important  and  predominating 
divisions  of  our  nature — those  which  give  the  line  to  the  whole 
of  future  life,  and  determine  its  destination — the  physical  and 
moral  attributes,  formed  no  part  of  the  discipline  of  education,  and 
only  occasionally  entered  into  it,  when,  by  a  fortunate  concurrence 
of  events,  the  strong  common  sense  and  wholesome  training  of  the 
domestic  circle  were  taken  up  and  carried  on  in  the  halls  of  science. 
The  intellectual  faculties  were,  indeed,  partially  developed;  but  in 
the  general  absence  of  sound  moral  aliment  on  which  to  act,  the 
higher  sentiments  were  left  to  take  such  direction  as  the  propensities 
and  appetites  might  suggest,  controlled  only  by  the  operations  of  a 
public  sentiment,  which,  however  it  might  restrain  within  due 
bounds  the  grosser  and  more  violent  passions,  admitted  full  latitude 
to  the  play  of  many  of  the  lower  attributes  of  our  nature.  In  short, 
our  systems  of  popular  education,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest, 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

have  been  little  better  than  mere  systems,  beautiful  in  theory,  af- 
fording felicitous  subjects  for  self-gratulation  at  our  public  anni- 
versaries, but  essentially  destitute  of  that  living  principle  which 
acts  upon,  and  elevates  and  refines  to  its  greatest  possible  degree, 
the  physical,  the  intellectual,  the  moral  and  religious  faculties. 

To  remedy  this  predominant  evil,  it  is,  first  of  all,  necessary  that 
we  should  be  fully  aware  not  only  of  its  existence,  but  of  its  ex- 
tent. If  the  source  is  corrupt,  we  have  no  right  to  expect,  at  any 
stage  of  progress,  those  pure  and  invigorating  influences  which  can 
be  the  result  only  of  an  uncontaminated  origin.  In  the  vast  major- 
ity of  instances,  the  young  mind  receives  its  most  abiding  impres- 
sions from  the  various  influences  with  which  it  is  immediately 
surrounded  5  from  its  first  lessons  of  man  and  nature,  of  intellect 
and  morals — lessons  not  written  in  sand,  and  swept  away  by  the 
passing  breeze,  but  deeply  and  ineradicably  engraven  upon  the 
tablets  of  memory.  There  are  formed  those  habits,  principles, 
sentiments,  and  modes  of  thinking,  feeling,  and  acting,  which  will 
inevitably  characterize  the  future  man.  It  is  of  tl»e  first  impor- 
tance, therefore,  to  trace  these  interesting  developements  as  they 
are  successively  unfolded,  and  to  ascertain  under  what  influences 
they  are  best  drawn  out,  and  in  what  manner  their  progressive 
irrowth  may  best  be  secured. 

This  has  been  the  object  which  the  author  has  proposed  to 
himself  in  the  following  pages  ;  and,  however  imperfectly  he  has 
succeeded,  he  has.  at  least,  the  satisfaction  of  believing  that  his 
motives  will  be  appreciated  by  those  for  whom  he  has  labored. 
He  has  sought  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  young  to  considerations 
intimately  connected  with  their  physical,  moral,  and  intellectual 
education,  and  the  formation  of  their  character,  and  to  point  out 
the  facilities,  as  well  as  obstacles,  to  mental  culture,  whkh  are 
presented  by  the  varying  circumstances  of  their  condition  in  life, 
by  the  institutions  of  society,  and  by  public  sentiment.  If  this 
•object  shall  have  been  accomplished, — if,  through  his  humble 
efforts,  a  right  direction  shall  have  been  given  to  any  inquiring 
and  ingenuous  mind, — his  utmost  ambition  will  have  been  attained. 


MENTAL  AND  MORAL  CULTURE, 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  EDUCATION. 

1.  THE  present  state  of  physical,  intellectual,  and 
moral  science  marks  one  of  those  grand  and  distinct 
epochs  in  the  progress  of  civilization,  which  are  des- 
tined to  exert  an  immense  influence  upon  the  fu- 
tui-e.  Its  distinguishing  aim  may,  perhaps,  be  de- 
fined to  be,  the  attainment  of  a  harmonious  combi- 
nation and  judicious  cultivation  of  all  the  faculties 
of  our  nature.  Hitherto  the  physical  constitution  of 
man,  and  the  influences  which  are  constantly  exert- 
ed upon  its  peculiar  organization  by  the  external 
world,  have  been  regarded  as  the  objects  of  a  sepa- 
rate and  distinct  science,  dependent  upon  principles 
peculiar  to  itself,  and  related  only  incidentally  to 
mental  or  moral  manifestation.  The  intellectual 
powers  have,  in  like  manner,  been  made  the  basis  of 
a  philosophy  of  their  own  ;  and  have  given  rise  to 
numerous  metaphysical  systems,  too  often  abstruse 
in  their  conceptions,  profitless  in  their  details,  and 
fruitless  in  their  results.  Moral  philosophy  too  has, 
in  every  age,  had  its  professors,  who  have  vainly 
attempted  to  sound  the  depths,  compass  the  nature, 


12  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

and  direct  the  mighty  but  wayward  energies  of  the 
human  soul.  In  the  cultivation  of  each  of  these  sci- 
ences, separate  and  distinct  from  its  indissoluble  con- 
nection with  the  others,  insuperable  obstacles  have 
from  time  to  time  been  presented  ;  and  a  clear  and 
satisfactory  conception  of  the  nature  and  offices,  the 
powers  and  capabilities  of  the  human  mind,  consid- 
ered in  all  its  various  relations,  has  never  by  this 
process  been  attained. 

2.  The  most  scientific,  thorough,  and  practical 
acquaintance  with  the  physical  organization  of  the 
body,  and  of  the  effect  produced  upon  it  by  exter- 
nal subtances,  obviously  affords  but  an  incomplete 
means  of  solution  of  the  diversified  phenomena  con- 
stantly presented  in  the  constitution  of  our  complex 
nature.  In  order  to  arrive  at  satisfactory  results  in 
this  ample  field  of  inquiry,  a  knowledge  of  the  va- 
rious influences  which  the  intellectual  and  moral 
faculties  exert  upon  the  physical,  arid  of  the  effects 
of  their  combined  operations  under  circumstances 
continually  modified  and  changed  by  the  constantly 
changing  surface  of  human  events  and  individual 
peculiarities  of  character,  is  indispensably  requisite. 
Nor  can  the  process  of  intellectual  developemem  and 
expansion  be  correctly  apprehended,  or  wisely  direc- 
ted, without  an  enlightened  appreciation  as  well  of 
the  physical  organization  as  of  the  moral  tendencies, 
culture,  and  character  of  the  individual  who  is  the 
subject  of  mental  discipline.  So,  too,  with  the 
teachings  of  the  moralist  and  the  divine.  Elevated 
and  sublime  as  is,  and  ever  must  be,  that  science 
which  deals  with  the  highest  and  noblest  attributes 
of  humanity,  it  is  lamentably  true  that  its  progress 
and  success  has  hitherto  been  in  no  degree  commen- 
surate with  its  importance.  Confining  itself  to  the 
moral  and  religious  nature  of  man,  and  rightly  assu- 
ming, as  its  standard  of  attainment,  the  capacity  of 


THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    EDUCATION.  13 

that  nature  for  indefinite  improvement,  it  has  never- 
theless failed  to  appreciate  the  ceaseless  pressure  of 
diversified  external  circumstances,  and  the  constant 
and  powerful  modifications  of  the  intellectual  and 
moral  faculties,  which  result  from  physical  organiza- 
tion, and  the  harmonious  or  discordant  play  of  its 
complicated  and  delicate  mechanism.  It  has  dealt 
too  much  in  vague  abstractions  and  general  principles, 
and  too  little  with  the  world  as  it  really  is.  The 
strongest  convictions  of  the  intellect  have  often  been 
found  wholly  insufficient  to  counterpoise  the  power- 
ful influence  of  the  passions,  especially  when  aided 
by  an  unfavorable  combination  of  external  circum- 
stances. The  most  incontrovertible  principles  of 
duty,  and  the  soundest  dictates  of  moral  and  relig- 
ious truth,  are  wasted  upon  that  mental  soil  not  pre- 
viously adapted  to  their  reception  by  the  proper 
cultivation  and  supremacy  of  the  higher  senti- 
ments. The  infinite  diversity  of  human  character — 
the  innumerable  and  depressing  physical  evils  with 
which  mankind  have  always  been  compelled  to 
contend  —  the  various  operations  of  the  passions  and 
propensities  of  our  common  nature,  under  different 
combinations  of  circumstances  and  events  —  and  the 
ceaseless  modifications  of  the  vast  and  complicated 
machinery  of  society  constantly  revolving  around 
us  —  should  long  since  have  demonstrated  the  ne- 
cessity of  an  enlightened  appreciation  of  all  the 
various  influences,  which  in  the  economy  of  human 
life  are  brought  to  bear  upon  the  formation  and  de- 
velopement  of  character.  No  permanent  advance- 
ment of  the  standard  of  moral  virtue,  purity,  and 
truth  can  reasonably  be  expected,  but  through  a 
long  and  thorough  discipline  of  the  whole  diversi- 
fied nature  of  man  ;  by  clearly  unfolding  the  inti- 
mate connection  of  his  duty  with  his  highest  in- 
terest as  well  for  time  as  eternity — of  the  require- 


14  MENTAL  AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

ments  of  his  Creator  with  his  own  present  and 
prospective  happiness  —  and  the  proper  fulfilment 
of  his  high  destiny,  with  the  harmonious  action  of 
every  faculty  of  his  being. 

3.  These  principles  constitute  the  foundation  of 
the  great  work  of  Education  :  And  it  is  mainly  be- 
cause they  have  not  been  fully  understood,  or  their 
practical  importance  correctly  estimated,  that,  com- 
paratively, so  little  has  hitherto  been  accomplished 
for  the  elevation  and  improvement  of  the  race.  And 
yet  we  should  be  guilty  of  an  unjustifiable  presump- 
tion in  assuming  that  an  acquaintance  with  the  fun- 
damental powers  and  faculties  of  our  nature,  and 
with  the  intimate  relation,  which  in  their  united  ac- 
tion they  sustain  to  the  external  world  as  well  of 
matter  as  of  mind,  has  not  at  all  times  and  in  all 
ages  been  accessible  to  those  for  whose  happiness 
such  powers  were  conferred,  and  for  whose  benefit 
such  relations  exist.  It  is  inconsistent  with  all  our 
conceptions  of  that  wisdom  and  benevolence,  which 
pervades  the  great  scheme  of  things  and  the  dealings 
of  the  Creator,  to  suppose  that  the  observance  of  cer- 
tain fixed  and  invariable  laws  is  necessary  to  the 
well-being  of  the  race,  individually  and  collectively, 
and  yet  that  the  means  of  ascertaining  and  applying 
those  laws  have  been  withheld.  Such  a  conclusion 
would  be  at  variance  with  all  the  facts  which  histo- 
ry, observation,  and  experience  have  presented  to  our 
view.  In  tracing  the  progress  of  civilization  through 
its  various  stages  of  advancement,  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  phenomena  which  presents  itself,  is 
the  slow  process  by  which  many  of  the  cardinal 
principles  of  knowledge  have  been  matured  and  es- 
tablished. The  elementary  materials  of  the  physical 
world,  from  which  those  innumerable  combinations 
of  science  and  the  arts,  now  so  familiarly  applied, 
were  compounded,  have  at  all  times  existed,  and  their 


THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    EDUCATION.  15 

innate  properties,  powers,  and  capabilities  have  been 
uniformly  the  same ;  and  yet  the  most  important  dis- 
coveries and  valuable  inventions,  connected  with  the 
welfare  and  progressive  improvement  of  the  race,  owe 
their  origin  to  a  period  comparatively  recent.  The 
same  sources  of  observation  which  conducted  the  pen- 
etrating minds  of  Galileo  and  Newton  to  a  knowledge 
of  the  laws  which  regulate  the  motions  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  had  been  open  to  millions  of  intelligent  and 
reflecting  beings,  since  the  world  began  ;  and  al- 
though numerous  systems  and  countless  theories  had 
prevailed,  a  just  appreciation  of  uniform  facts  and  a 
clear  conception  of  their  relations  and  dependencies 
had  not  been  attained.  One  of  the  most  simple  and 
important  principles  of  our  animal  economy,  —  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  —  remained  unknown  until 
the  commencement  of  the  seventeenth  century  ;  and 
yet  the  inductions,  which  led  the  mind  of  Harvey  to 
its  developement  were  accessible  to  the  observation 
of  every  scientific  mind  of  the  ancient  and  modern 
world.  A  similar  remark  is  applicable  to  the  more 
recent  discoveries  of  the  nature  and  functions  of  the 
nervous  system,  by  that  indefatigable  scholar  and  en- 
lightened physiologist,  Sir  Charles  Bell.  Four  centu- 
ries have  not  yet  elapsed  since  the  discovery  of  the  art 
of  printing  and  the  invention  of  the  mariner's  compass 
so  immeasurably  facilitated  the  spread  of  knowledge, 
and  the  annunciation  of  the  existence  of  a  new  world 
opened  to  the  minds  of  men  an  inexhaustible  source 
of  social,  intellectual,  and  moral  power.  The  am- 
ple volume  of  nature  has,  at  all  times,  been  open  to 
the  study  and  observation  of  mankind  ;  and  her  in- 
structive lessons  have  ever  been  ready  abundantly 
to  gratify  the  highest  interest  of  her  votaries  ;  and 
yet  the  records  of  human  improvement,  worthy  of 
the  name,  may  be  comprised  within  the  limits  of  a 
few  centuries.  Indeed  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  six 


16  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

thousand  years  we  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  pen- 
elrated  beyond  the  vestibule  of  the  great  temple 
of  knowledge.  The  essential  conditions,  however, 
upon  which  the  well-being  of  the  race  have  been 
dependent,  in  all  ages  and  under  all  the  diversified 
circumstances  in  which  humanity  has  ever  ex- 
isted, has  nevertheless  been  placed  within  the 
comprehension  of  every  responsible  individual  of 
the  species. 

4.  The  present  may  be  regarded  as  emphatically 
the  age  of  improvement — of  progress — of  advance- 
ment in  physical,  intellectual, and  especially  in  moral 
science.  The  human  mind,  diverted  for  a  season 
from  the  destructive  and  degrading  physical  contests 
waged  by  ambition,  pride  and  passion  for  supremacy 
and  power,  has  passed  by  a  rapid  transition  through 
the  wide  circle  of  the  arts  and  sciences  to  a  system- 
atic and  enlightened  examination  of  its  own  intrinsic 
nature,  capacities,  wants,  and  destination.  From  its 
comprehensive  survey  of  the  external  universe,  its 
analysis  of  the  properties  of  matter,  its  combinations 
of  the  innumerable  substances  of  the  material  world, 
and  its  subjection  of  the  physical  powers  of  nature 
to  the  various  purposes  of  an  advancing  civilization 
— it  has  ascended  to  the  great  source  of  all  knowl- 
edge and  all  power,  and  traced  its  own  derivation 
from  the  spirit  of  the  universe — its  innate  capabili- 
ties— its  progressive  expansion — its  boundless  aspira- 
tions, and  its  immortality.  From  a  survey  of  its  own 
history,  in  all  the  diversified  forms  of  its  develope- 
ment  from  the  dawn  of  ancient  civilization  through 
the  thick  mists  of  ignorance,  superstition  and  error  to 
the  present  advanced  condition  of  society,  it  is 
beginning  to  deduce  those  great  elementary  truths 
which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  a  wise  and  en- 
lightened philosophy — truths  originally  implanted  by 


THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    EDUCATION.  17 

the  Creator  on  its  uncorrupted  tablets;  truths  asser- 
ted and  re-asserted  in  every  age  of  its  experience  by 
the  few  who  were  capable  of  discerning,  through  the 
surrounding  darkness,  the  imperishable  landmarks  of 
humanity ;  truths  yet  destined  to  regenerate  the  race, 
and  render  it  worthy  of  its  divine  origin  and  na- 
ture. 

5.  The  communication  of  a  knowledge  of  these 
truths  in  their  simplicity  and  purity  to  the  rising  gen- 
eration, in  such  a  manner  as  to  enable  them  intelli- 
gently to  appreciate  and  rightly  to  apply  them  to  all 
the  practical  purposes  of  life  and  to  the  promotion  of 
the  true  end  of  their  being,  is  the  great  object  of  ed- 
ucation. Rightly  comprehending  the  primal  source 
of  all  the  wretchedness  and  desolation  which  have 
withered  the  energies  and  blighted  the  hopes  of  man- 
kind, the  Christian,  the  patriot,  the  philanthropist,  and 
the  statesman  now  propose  to  purify  the  stream  at 
its  fountain ;  to  rescue  the  beautiful  innocence  of 
childhood  from  contamination ;  early  to  instruct  the 
intellect  and  strengthen  the  principles  of  those,  who 
in  their  turn  are  to  carry  forward  the  destinies  of  hu- 
manity; carefully  to  remove  those  fatal  obstacles,  up- 
on which  the  fondest  hopes  and  most  flattering  an- 
ticipations have  so  often  and  so  calamitously  been 
wrecked;  and  earnestly  and  efficiently  to  apply  them- 
selves to  the  wide  dissemination  of  those  enduring 
truths  of  civilization  and  Christianity,  which  alone  can 
enable  man  to  resume  his  appropriate  station  as  the 
intelligent  and  responsible  recipient  and  dispenser  of 
knowledge,  virtue,  and  happiness.  It  must,  however, 
constantly  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  is  upon  the  ability 
and  the  disposition  wisely  and  judiciously  to  profit 
by  this  knowledge,  and  to  render  it  available  to  the 
great  purposes  of  rational  existence,  rather  than  upon 
the  extent  or  comprehensiveness  of  the  knowledge 
2 


18  MENTAL   AND   MORAL     CULTURE. 

itself,  however  accurate,  that  our  attainments  in  the 
true  philosophy  of  life  must  essentially  depend. 

6.  To  him  who  rightly  appreciates  the  intrinsic 
value,  the  vast  capabilities  and  high  destination  of 
the  human  mind,  no  consideration  can  be  more  sol- 
emn or  momentous  than  that  of  the  responsibility  in- 
volved in  its  constitution.  We  are,  indeed,  '  fearful- 
ly and  wonderfully  made' — not  alone  with  reference 
to  our  merely  physical  organization,  complicated  and 
perfect  as  we  know  that  crowning  workmanship  of 
the  Almighty  hand  to  be — but  chiefly  and  more  es- 
pecially in  that  inexplicable  and  mysterious  union  of 
mind  and  matter  which  connects  our  animal  frame 
with  the  spirit  of  the  universe — elevates  us  in  the 
magnificent  scale  of  creative  wisdom  to  a  station  '  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels' — and  calls  upon  us  to  as- 
pire to  that  perfection  of  character  which  alone  can 
enable  us  to  fulfil  the  objects  of  our  existence.  Nor 
is  this  high  responsibility  thus  devolved  upon  us,  in 
any  degree  lessened,  or  its  requisitions  modified,  by 
the  general  prevalence  of  degenerate  views  and  er- 
roneous conceptions  of  our  origin,  duties  and  desti- 
nation— by  the  disturbing  influences  which  surround 
us  on -every  hand,  or  the  manifold  temptations  which 
encompass  our  progress,  arid  constantly  urge  us  to 
diverge  from  the  narrow  path  of  truth  and  duty. 
The  standard  of  rectitude  is  imperishable  and  eter- 
nal. It  varies  not  with  the  incessant  vicissitudes  of 
erring  humanity  ;  and  wherever  a  human  being  ex- 
ists, conformity  to  its  requirements  is  absolutely  es- 
sential to  happiness  and  permanent  well-being.  Rea- 
son and  revelation  combine  to  assure  us  that  in  the 
bestowment  of  the  inappreciable  boon  of  humanity, 
the  Creator  designed  to  confer  upon  us  as  its  legit- 
imate end,  the  highest  degree  of  happiness  and  en- 
joyment of  which  our  nature  is  susceptible.  Our 
physical  structure  in  all  its  parts  is  admirably  adap- 


THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    EDUCATION.  19 

ted  to  the  entire  constitution  of  our  being ;  and  the 
highest  effort  of  human  wisdom  is  inadequate  to  the 
execution,  or  even  the  conception  of  the  slightest  im- 
provement in  the  exquisite  mechanism  of  those  or- 
ganic functions,  from  the  harmonious  play  of  which 
we  derive  the  abiding  consciousness  and  the  full  en- 
joyment of  our  animal  existence.  The  same  perfection 
of  organic  structure  pervades  the  infinite  and  incom- 
prehensible variety  of  animal  life,,  throughout  every 
portion  of  the  universe  within  the  scope  of  our  most 
extended  observation.  All  the  orders  of  being  be- 
low humanity  accomplish  unerringly  the  specific 
objects  for  which  they  were  designed.  It  is  from 
those  attributes  alone,  which  constitute  our  proper 
humanity,  that  we  derive  the  fearful  power  of  trans- 
gression ;  and  with  it  that  responsibility  for  the  appro- 
priate exercise  of  our  intellectual  and  moral  faculties, 
which  necessarily  results  from  the  relation  of  the 
creature  to  the  Creator. 

7.  All  degrees  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  below 
humanity,  are  created  originally  perfect ;  with  pow- 
ers, faculties  and  instincts  adapted  to  the  peculiar 
scale  of  being  they  are  destined  to  occupy — neither 
requiring  nor  admitting  cultivation — and  incapable 
by  the  very  constitution  of  their  nature  of  transcen- 
ding or  violating  in  any  essential  respect  the  funda- 
mental conditions  of  their  existence.  Man  alone  of 
all  the  inhabitants  of  our  planet,  is  created  with  the 
power  of  improving  indefinitely  his  condition — of 
transgressing  by  a  voluntary  effort  of  his  will,  the 
laws  of  Iris  being,  and  of  counteracting,  if  we  may 
be  allowed  to  use  the  expression,  so  far  as  he  himself 
is  concerned,  the  benevolent  design  of  his  Creator, 
in  the  bestowment  of  the  high  privilege  of  an  intel- 
ligent existence.  With  him  alone  the  work  of  edu- 
cation and  the  formation  of  character  commences  in 
early  infancy,  and  is  susceptible  of  continued  pro- 


20  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CtfLTtfflE. 

gress  through  all  the  subsequent  stages  of  life.  He 
alone  possesses  that  indestructible  germ  of  being 
which  we  term  the.  soul  or  spirit — the  badge  of  his 
proper  humanity — the  pledge  of  his  immortality — 
the  distinctive  characteristic  of  his  high  nature.  The 
external  avenues  of  communication  with  the  world 
of  matter  and  of  mind  are  possessed  by  him  in  com- 
mon with  the  inferior  animals.  The  rays  of  light 
are  conveyed  to  them,  as  to  him,  through  the  medi- 
um of  the  eye :  the  vibrations  of  the  air  which  con- 
stitute sound,  are  communicated  through  the  same 
organs  of  hearing :  the  same  faculties  of  touch,  of 
taste  and  of  smell,  are  conferred  upon  them  by  an 
organization  substantially  similar  to  his  own  ;  and 
each  of  these  senses  are  possessed  by  various  species 
of  the  animal  creation  in  greater  perfection,  and  with 
a  more  extended  scope  of  action  than  by  him.  Most, 
if  not  all  the  perceptive  faculties — those  which  take 
cognizance  of  the  forms,  hues,  dimensions  and  local- 
ities of  external  nature — which  discover  and  discern 
existences — note  events  as  they  occur — recall  im- 
pressions and  furnish  the  various  materials  for  the 
exercise  of  reason  a/id  judgment  in  man,  are  pos- 
sessed by  the  brutes ;  and  in  them  their  various 
functions  are  regulated  by  an  unerring  instinct. 

8.  As  the  animal  organization  approaches  in  com- 
plexity and  perfection  to  the  human,  the  sphere  of  in- 
tellectual action  is  proportionably  expanded,  and  the 
range  of  the  propensities  and  affective  emotions,  with 
which  it  is  also  endowed,  elevated  and  enlarged. 
These  propensities  and  emotions  likewise  correspond 
in  a  considerable  degree  to  those  of  man.  It  is  the 
same  animal  instinct  in  both  which  prompts  to  anger, 
violence,  strife  and  carnage :  the  same  in  both  which 
incites  to  deception,  concealment  and  theft :  the  same 
in  both  which  induces  a  disregard  of  the  interests 
and  feelings  of  others,  and  a  concentration  of  every 


THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF    EDUCATION.  21 

energy  upon  self:  the  same  in  both  which  impels  to 
covetousness  and  cunning, — in  short,  the  same  in 
both,  which  in  its  unregulated  and  unrestrained  ac- 
tion has  emphatically 

'  Brought  death  into  the  world,  and  all  our  woe.' 

In  the  brute  creation  these  propensities  subserve  a 
wise  and  specific  purpose :  they  are  restrained  within 
impassable  bounds  :  and  their  exercise  constitutes  the 
ultimate  end  and  the  greatest  happiness  of  their  pos- 
sessors. Upon  man  too,  these  propensities  were  con- 
ferred by  Omniscient  Wisdom  for  the  attainment  of 
beneficial  ends :  but  upon  him  was  bestowed  a  higher 
and  nobler  order  of  faculties  to  which  they  were  de- 
signed to  be  subservient,  and  by  which  they  were 
intended  to  be  restrained  ;  and  that  impassable  bar- 
rier which  renders  transgression  and  its  fatal  conse- 
quences physically  impossible  to  the  brute,  finds  no 
place  in  his  mental  or  moral  organization.  The  high- 
er attributes  of  his  being — the  capacity  to  reason  and 
to  decide  by  an  intelligent  appreciation  and  compar- 
ison of  conflicting  motives,  objects,  ends  and  aims — 
the  power  of  widening  the  sphere  and  dispersing  the 
mists  of  his  intellectual  vision — and  of  so  disciplin- 
ing his  moral  sense  as  to  render  his  conduct  practi- 
cally subservient  to  the  will  of  his  Creator,  and  in 
harmonious  accordance  with  the  design  of  his  exis- 
tence— these  belong  to  man  alone:  and  their  exercise 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  or  their  total  neglect,  and 
the  abandonment  of  the  reins  of  intellect,  judgment 
and  conscience  to  the  guidance  of  the  passions,  and 
the  impulse  of  circumstance,  determine  the  character 
and  shape  the  destiny  of  each  individual  of  the  hu- 
man family. 

9.  In  this  power,  resulting  from  the  union  of  the 
spiritual  and  material  portions  of  our  being,  and  in 
the  consequent  responsibility  which  its  exercise  in- 


22  MENTAL    AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 

volves,  consists  the  highest  and  noblest  attribute  of 
humanity.  The  intellectual  and  moral  faculties  of 
our  nature  cannot  assume  and  retain  a  stationary  po- 
sition. There  is  no  mental  equilibrium,  in  which 
knowledge,  and  the  various  passions  and  emotions 
can  rest,  undisturbed  by  any  impulse  or  preponder- 
ance from  without  or  within.  In  the  cultivation  and 
discipline  of  our  mind,  in  all  its  complicated  rela- 
tions, we  must  continually  advance,  or  we  shall  be 
irresistibly  compelled  to  recede.  We  have  no  alter- 
native, other  than  a  progress  in  virtue,  in  knowledge 
and  in  goodness,  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  failure  on 
the  other,  not  only  to  accomplish  that  full  measure  ot 
happiness  and  enjoyment  designed  by  the  Creator  in 
our  formation,  but  in  any  considerable  degree  to  ap- 
prehend the  end  and  object  of  existence  itself,  or  to 
avoid  the  innumerable  calamities  physical  and  moral, 
incidental  to  ignorance  and  error.  In  what  manner 
then,  may  we  best  discipline  our  whole  nature,  so  as 
to  accomplish  to  the  greatest  practicable  extent  the 
will  of  our  Creator — fulfil  the  objects  and  purposes 
of  our  being — cultivate  and  develope  the  various  fac- 
ulties of  our  mind — and  fit  ourselves  for  usefulness 
and  enjoyment  in  the  circumstances  which  surround 
us,  and  the  respective  stations  in  which  it  may  be  our 
fortune  to  be  placed  ? 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.    23 


CHAPTER  II. 

PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE. 

1.  IN  our  endeavors  to  ascertain  the  true  mode  of 
developing  the  powers  and  faculties  of  the  mind, 
with  a  view  to  a  systematic  education  of  the  whole 
of  our  compound  nature,  it  is  first  of  all  necessary  to 
acquaint  ourselves  with  the  fundamental  principles 
of  that  nature.  On  no  subject  has  a  greater  diver- 
sity of  opinion  prevailed,  than  on  that  of  the  nature 
and  essence  of  the  human  mind ;  and  on  no  subject, 
certainly,  have  the  materials  for  observation  been 
more  ample  and  abundant.  In  addition  to  the  con- 
sciousness which  each  intelligent  individual  posses- 
ses, of  the  operations  of  his  own  mind,  a  vast  field 
of  instruction  is  daily  presented  in  the  conduct  and 
character  of  others,  and  an  inexhaustible  repository 
of  facts  illustrative  of  this  great  subject  exists  in  the 
annals  of  history.  And  yet  if  we  may,  even  now, 
be  permitted  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  the  pos- 
session of  an  enlightened  and  practical  philosophy 
of  the  mind,  the  period  is  quite  recent  since  a  thor- 
ough analysis  of  its  various  faculties,  and  a  satisfac- 
tory elucidation  of  its  nature  and  powers,  ceased  to 
be  a  desideratum  in  the  acquisitions  of  science. 
Metaphysicians,  it  is  true,  have  abounded  in  every 
age  ;  and  as  intelligence  and  civilization  have  ad- 
vanced, a  perceptible  progress  has  been  made  in  psy- 
chological inquiries  ;  while  the  frequent  revolutions 
which  the  opinions  of  scientific  men  have  undergone, 
and  the  varying  and  even  opposite  standards  which 
have  from  time  to  time  prevailed,  have  afforded  the 
most  conclusive  evidence,  that  the  solid  foundations 


24  MENTAL    AND   MORAL    CULTURE. 

of  truth  and  nature  were  yet  to  be  reached.  In  the 
expressive  language  of  De  Bonald,  an  author  whose 
views  on  this  subject  are  cited  with  approbation  by 
Dugald  Stewart  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  centu- 
ry, '  diversity  of  doctrine  has  increased  from  age  to 
age,  with  the  number  of  masters,  and  with  the  pro- 
gress of  knowledge;  and  Europe,  which  at  present 
possesses  libraries  filled  with  philosophical  works, 
and  which  reckons  up  almost  as  many  philosophers 
as  writers — poor  in  the  midst  of  so  much  riches — 
and  uncertain,  in  the  midst  of  all  its  guides,  which 
road  it  should  follow — Europe,  the  centre  and  focus 
of  all  the  lights  of  the  world,  has  yet  its  philosophy 
only  in  expectation.' 

2.  Independently  of  revelation,  we  can  form  no 
accurate  conception  of  the  abstract  nature  and  es- 
sence of  the  human  mind.  The  various  speculations 
on  this  subject,  in  which  men  in  all  ages  have  allow- 
ed themselves  to  indulge,  have  subserved  no  other 
profitable  end  than  to  demonstrate  the  utter  inability 
of  the  profoundest  intellect  to  solve  the  deep  problem 
of  its  own  existence.  While  we  recognise  the  pres- 
ence and  operation  of  intellectual  and  moral  faculties 
elevating  us  in  the  scale  of  creation  immeasurably 
above  the  purely  animal  orders  of  existence,  the  ut- 
most exertion  of  those  faculties,  unaided  by  inspira- 
tion, can  neither  communicate  to  us  any  definite  con- 
ception of  their  origin,  nor  inform  us  of  their  peculiar 
nature,  distinct  from  the  material  organization  with 
which,  in  this  life,  we  find  them  connected.  It  is 
only  by  observing  and  noting  their  manifestation  in 
various  individuals  and  under  every  combination  of 
external  circumstances,  and  by  carefully  discrimin- 
ating between  fundamental  powers,  dispositions  and 
propensities,  and  their  diversified  modifications  in 
conduct  and  character,  that  we  can  hope  to  attain  to 
accurate  results  in  the  investigation  of  the  numerous 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.    25 

mental  phenomena  presented  to  our  view.  We  shall 
best  consult  the  dictates  of  a  sound  philosophy  by 
confining  our  researches  to  facts  presented  by  the 
history  of  the  race,  or  open  to  general  observation, 
instead  of  wandering  into  those  obscure  regions  of 
metaphysical  subtlety  which  bewilder  the  intellect, 
without  either,  enlightening  the  understanding  or 
convincing  the  judgment. 

3.  Whatever  may  be  the  nature  or  essence,  the  ori- 
gin or  destination  of  the  human  mind,  the  Creator  has 
seen  fit  to  assign  the  body  as  its  earthly  residence. 
Whether  we  term  it  soul  or  spirit — the  heart  or  the 
mind — reason,  thought,  intellect,  understanding,  con- 
science or  will — it  can  manifest  itself  in  our  present 
state  of  existence,  only  through  the  agency  of  materi- 
al organs.     Christianity,  indeed,  enables  us  to  anti- 
cipate the  final  triumph  of  mind  over  matter,  and  to 
expect  the  emancipation  of  our  higher  nature  from 
the  grosser  elements  which  now  repress  and  fetter 
its  immortal  energies.     But  the  dark  portals  of  the 
tomb   must   first  be  passed.      Here,  the    connection 
which  Infinite  Wisdom  has  established  between  physr 
ical  organization  and  mental  developement  is,  in  its 
very  nature,  indissoluble  ;   and  the  elements  of  our 
being  are  so  intermingled,  that  the  purely  material 
portion  of  our  nature  exerts  a  constant  and  powerful 
influence  over  that  which,  in  itself,  is  purely  imma- 
terial and  spiritual.     When  the  one,  either  in  con- 
sequence of  a  violation  of  its  organic  laws,  or  by 
gradual  decay  and    dissolution   becomes  no  longer 
capable  of  discharging  its  functions  in  accordance 
with  the  constitution  of  its  nature,  the  other  ceases, 
to  all  human  observation,  its  accustomed  operations, 
and  suspends  its  powers. 

4.  There  is  no  condition  of  humanity  in  which 
the  mind  can  manifest  itself  independently  of  the 

3 


26  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

body ;  nor  is  there  any  wherein  a  derangement  of  the 
physical  structure  of  the  brain,  the  acknowledged 
seat  of  reason,  intellect,  and  thought,  does  not  affect, 
in  precise  proportion  to  the  extent  and  magnitude  of 
the  injury,  the  moral  and  intellectual  faculties  of  the 
mind.  We  are  not  at  liberty,  therefore,  in  our  in- 
vestigations respecting  what  we  dee.m  the  nobler 
portion  of  our  common  nature,  to  separate  those 
mysterious  but  harmonious  elements  which  God 
himself  has  joined.  In  the  vain  and  fruitless  at- 
tempt to  effect  this  divorce,  the  strongest  intellects 
have  found  themselves  bewildered  amid  the  tangled 
mazes  of  a  philosophy  which  has  sought  by  earnest 
contemplation  of  an  isolated  part  of  '  one  stupendous 
whole '  to  extract  a  system  of  ethics  adapted  to  the 
great  purposes  of  human  life.  Rather  let  us  study 
the  laws  of  our  being,  where  alone  the  knowledge  is 
to  be  attained,  from  a  contemplation  of  our  whole 
nature,  and  from  the  unerring  dictates  of  Revelation, 
whether  transmitted  to  us  by  the  direct  interposition 
of  the  Deity,  through  the  record  of  our  common  faith, 
or  communicated  in  the  thousand  voices  which  speak 
to  us  daily  and  hourly  from  the  manifold  works  of 
creative  wisdom,  goodness  and  power.  The  body, 
equally  with  the  soul,  is  the  product  of  the  Divine 
hand.  It  came  from  its  Creator,  the  perfect  and  fit 
temple  of  its  godlike  inhabitant — exquisitely  adapted 
in  its  most  minute  details,  as  well  as  in  the  general 
result  of  its  structure  to  the  communication  and  dif- 
fusion of  enjoyment ;  and  it  is  only  from  our  igno- 
rance of  its  true  nature,  and  our  repeated  and  con- 
tinued departures  from  the  laws  impressed  upon  its 
constitution,  that  the  discordant  play  of  its  organs 
becomes  the  fertile  source  of  suffering,  disorder  and 
pain : — 

'  Like  sweet  bells  jangled,  out  of  tune  and  harsh.' 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.    27 

5.  An  early  and  intelligent  acquaintance  with 
the  constitution,  structure  and  functions  of  the  hu- 
man frame  ;  the  laws  in  obedience  to  which  only, 
health  may  be  preserved  and  secured,  and  the  mind 
enabled  to  accomplish  its  noble  mission,  undepressed 
by  the  disheartening  influences  of  debility,  disease 
and  pain  ;  the  organic  functions  of  the  various  mus- 
cles, bones,  nerves,  vessels  and  ligatures  which  are 
distributed  throughout  the  body,  and  the  principles 
in  conformity  to  which  the  action  of  each  and  the 
combined  operations  of  all  are  regulated — is  indispen- 
sable to  an  enlightened  developement  and  judicious 
cultivation  of  our  whole  nature.  The  able  and 
accomplished  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
Massachusetts,  the  Hon.  Horace  Mann,  in  his  Sixth 
Annual  Report,  has  accumulated  a  mass  of  facts 
bearing  upon  this  important  and  elementary  process 
of  education,  and  has  enforced  its  claims  to  a  more 
general  and  universal  adoption  in  all  our  seminaries 
of  public  and  private  instruction,  with  an  eloquence, 
a  beauty  and  a  truth,  which  cannot  fail  to  carry  con- 
viction to  every  intelligent  mind.  '  The  laws  of 
health  and  life,'  observes  this  distinguished  advocate 
of  Popular  Education,  and  of  the  best  interests  of 
humanity,  '  are  comparatively  few  and  simple.  Ev- 
ery person  is  capable  of  understanding  them.  Every 
child  in  the  State  before  arriving  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen years  might  acquire  a  competent  knowledge  of 
them,  and  of  the  reasons  on  which  they  are  founded. 
The  profession  of  medicine,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
mainly  conversant  with  the  laws  of  disease.  It  is 
these  which  are  so  numberless  and  complex  as  to 
defy  the  profoundest  talent,  and  the  study  of  the 
longest  and  most  assiduous  life  for  their  thorough 
comprehension.  Every  difference  of  climate,  of  oc- 
cupation, of  personal  constitution  and  habits,  modifies 
their  character,  multiplies  their  number  and  perplexes 


23  MENTAL   AND    MOHAL    CULTURE. 

their  intricacy.  Human  Physiology,  or  the  science 
of  health  and  life,  may  be  written  in  one  book  ;  for 
Pathology,  or  the  science  of  disease,  thousands  and 
ten  thousands  of  books  have  been  written,  and  yet 
the  subject  seems  at  the  present  time  to  be  hardly 
nearer  exhaustion  than  in  the  age  of  Galen  or  Hip- 
pocrates.' A  proper  regard  to  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  diet,  of  clothing,  of  air,  and  exercise ;  a 
scrupulous  attention  to  cleanliness  ;  a  temperate  and 
discriminating  use  of  all  the  blessings  of  Providence, 
whether  conferred  upon  us  for  the  sustenance  and 
support  of  animal  life,  or  for  the  varied  purposes  of 
social  intercourse  and  moral  and  intellectual  pro- 
gress ;  and  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  the  diversi- 
fied effects  of  temperature,  climate,  and  atmospheric 
changes  upon  different  constitutions,  and  at  different 
periods  of  life,  would  unquestionably  prove  eminently 
conducive  to  longevity, — add  to  the  capacity  of  the 
human  race  for  happiness  and  enjoyment, — advance 
the  standard  of  mental  and  moral  improvement, — and 
mitigate  essentially,  if  it  did  not  ultimately  eradicate, 
the  numerous  and  harassing  physical  ills  '  which 
flesh  is  heir  to.'  That  this  important  branch  of 
mental  culture  has  so  long  been  almost  entirely 
overlooked,  not  only  in  our  systems  of  education,  but 
in  the  speculations  of  philosophy  and  the  exhortations 
of  the  pulpit,  argues  an  inexplicable  blindness  to  the 
cardinal  interests  of  human  knowledge,  and  a  strange 
infatuation,  which  in  its  zeal  for  the  promotion  of 
ulterior  objects  has  neglected  the  first  and  most  ob- 
vious means  for  their  successful  accomplishment. 
The  dark  catalogue  of  mortality,  and  the  annals  of 
human  suffering,  wretchedness  and  misery,  have 
been  fearfully  enhanced  by  the  prevailing  ignorance 
of  the  simple  and  intelligible  principles  of  physiolog- 
ical science  ;  and  what  is  still  more  lamentable,  the 
ravages  of  death  and  the  apparently  undiscriminating 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.     29 


visitations  of  calamity  and  affliction,  have  originated 
and  sustained  the  most  erroneous  and  pernicious 
theories  of  the  moral  government  of  that  over-ruling 
Providence,  who  '  doth  not  afflict  willingly  nor  grieve 
the  children  of  man,'  and  whose  '  chastenings,  though 
for  the  present  not  joyous  but  grievous,  afterward 
yield  the  paaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  to  those 
who  are  exercised  thereby.'  We  may  develop  to  a 
preternatural  activity  the  intellectual  faculties  of  our 
children ;  and  by  a  species  of  hot-house  discipline  be 
able  to  exhibit  to  the  wondering  gaze  of  our  friends, 
youthful  prodigies  of  genius  and  talent.  But  the 
bitter  experience  of  many  an  agonized  and  bereaved 
parent  has  demonstrated  that  triumphs  like  these  are 
too  evanescent  and  too  dearly  bought.  Exhausted 
nature  soo.i  asserts  its  supremacy,  and  vindicates  its 
violated  laws.  Tho  over-tasked  brain  gives  way  be- 
fore the  unnatural  supply  of  nervous  energy  which 
has  been  forced  to  it,  and  a  premature  grave  claims 
the  victim  of  a  misdirected  education.  Instead  of  in- 
couraging,  it  is  obviously  the  part  of  true  wisdom 
studiously  to  repress  the  undue  manifestations  of  in- 
tellectual power,  at  an  age  when  the  physical  organs 
have  not  yet  attained  that  consistency,  strength,  dur- 
ability and  harmony,  which  alone  can  fit  them  for 
cooperating  with  the  mind.  The  foundations  of 
education,  to  be  permanent  and  durable,  must  consist 
in  a  systematic,  thorough  and  judicious  invigoratioa 
of  the  physical  constitution.  We  may  not,  it  is  true, 
by  the  most  strict  conformity  to  the  organic  laws,  bo 
able  wholly  to  avert  the  ravages  of  disease,  or  to 
obtain  an  entire  exemption  from  the  physical  ills 
incident  to  humanity.  Were  we  even  at  liberty  to 
conceive  of  such  an  advancement  in  knowledge  and 
science,  at  any  future  period  of  the  race,  as  should 
enable  us  to  cope  with  pestilence  in  its  multiform 
and  desolating  influences,  to  grapple  with  and  over- 


30  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTUKE. 

come  those  innumerable  diseases  which  now  steal 
upon  us  when  least  expected,  and  against  which  no 
human  skill  or  prescience  can  avail — that  period  is 
undoubtedly  far  remote.  There  are  disturbing  in- 
fluences in  the  air  we  breathe — in  the  earth  upon 
which  we  tread — in  all  the  elements,  in  short,  which 
surround  us — there  are  disturbing  influences  in  the 
very  blood  which  courses  through  our  veins,  and  in 
the  constitution  of  our  physical  and  mental  organs, 
which  no  human  power  known  to  us  can  wholly 
neutralize  or  command.  But  it  is  much,  very  much, 
to  know  and  to  understand  the  fixed  laws  impressed 
upon  our  nature  by  the  hand  of  Omnipotent  wisdom 
and  benevolence  ;  to  be  able,  so  far  as  in  us  lies,  to 
guard  against  their  infringment,  to  carry  out  their 
design,  and  thus  secure  a  comparative  exemption 
from  those  debilitating  influences  which  make  up  so 
great  a  portion  of  the  cup  of  human  wretchedness. 
It  is  much  to  understand  and  appreciate  the  intimate 
connection  between  bodily  health  and  mental  efficien- 
cy— a  connection  which  has  been  too  long  and  too 
systematically  disregarded.  It  is  much  to  be  able  to 
dissipate  the  deplorable  ignorance  which  has  consign- 
ed to  a  premature  grave  so  many  highly  gifted  minds 
upon  whom  the  fondest  hopes  of  the  domestic  and 
social  circle  hung,  and  around  whom  clustered  the 
most  sanguine  anticipations  for  the  future.  It  is 
much  to  substitute  for  the  forbidding  and  destructive 
system  of  precocious  mental  culture  with  which  we 
have  heretofore  been  so  generally  met  at  the  very 
portals  of  knowledge  and  education,  the  pleasing  and 
unrestrained  exercise  of  those  muscular  functions, 
whose  activity  in  the  spring  time  of  life,  it  is  impos- 
sible wholly  to  repress,  and  the  gratification  of  that 
insatiable  thirst  for  instruction  and  information  so 
apparent  in  the  young  mind,  by  the  observation  of 
the  countless  phenomena  of  nature. 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.     31 

For  a  more  full  and  satisfactory  exposition  of  this 
important  and  indispensable  branch  of  elementary 
education,  we  must  refer  the  inquirer,  in  addition  to 
the  valuable  report  to  which  we  have  already  allud- 
ed, to  the  admirable  works  of  the  Messrs.  COMBE  of 
Edinburgh,  which  have  obtained  so  high  a  reputa- 
tation,  and  which  have  contributed,  probably  more 
than  any  other  publications  on  this  subject,  to  a 
general  diffusion  of  the  fundamental  principles  of 
sound  physiological,  as  well  as  mental  and  moral 
science.  The  masterly  treatises  of  GEORGE  COMBE 
on  the  '  Constitution  of  Man,'  and  on  '  Moral  Philos- 
ophy,' and  the  no  less  able  work  of  ANDREW  COMBE 
on  the  '  Principles  of  Physiology  applied  to  the 
Preservation  of  Health  and  to  the  Improvement  of 
Physical  and  Mental  Education,'  can  scarcely  be  too 
highly  commended  to  the  students  and  the  instruc- 
tors of  our  common  schools  and  higher  institutions 
of  learning,  and  to  the  attentive  perusal  of  every 
individual  who  desires  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  capacities  and  the  laws  of  his  being.  No  system 
of  education  can  be  perfect  which  is  not  based  upon 
an  enlightened  knowledge  of  the  science — for  science 
it  may  well  be  called — which  is  discussed  in  these 
attractive  publications.  None  is  worthy  of  the  name 
which  does  not  keep  its  great  truths  constantly  in 
view ;  and  no  philanthropist,  no  friend  to  humanity, 
and  no  individual  who  desires  to  ameliorate  and  to 
elevate  the  physical,  the  mental  and  moral  condition 
of  the  race,  will  withhold  his  influence  and  exertions 
to  disseminate  these  principles  far  and  wide.  Igno- 
rance of  the  elementary  principles  which  regulate 
the  physical  well-being  of  our  common  nature  is  no 
longer  excusable  in  those  who  undertake  the  task  of 
instruction  ;  and  especially  is  it  the  duty,  no  less  than 
the  interest  of  parents,  to  familiarize  themselves  with 
a  subject,  a  correct  knowledge  of  which  is  of  such 


32  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

surpassing  importance  to  the  happiness  and  welfare 
of  those  to  whom,  as  they  have  given  them  existence, 
so  they  are  bound  to  render  that  existence,  so  far  as 
in  them  lies,  a  source  of  enjoyment,  advancement 
and  mental  purity.  The  rapid  progress  of  physio- 
logical science,  and  the  more  general  diffusion  of 
enlightened  views  upon  the  reciprocal  influences  of 
the  physical  and  mental  portions  of  our  nature,  have 
thus  placed  at  the  command  of  all,  the  means  of  that 
intelligent  and  habitual  conformity  to  the  conditions 
of  health,  which  shall  fully  realize  the  desirable  com- 
bination of  '  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body.'  The 
wondrous  and  complicated  adaptation  of  the  '  temple 
of  the  soul '  to  the  various  purposes,  physical,  intel- 
lectual and  moral,  which  its  Great  Architect  designed 
it  to  subserve,  surely  affords  one  of  the  grandest  and 
most  exalted,  as  well  as  interesting  themes  for  study 
and  reflection. 

6.  We  proceed  to  the  higher  and  more  compre- 
hensive domain  of  the  mind  itself,  the  fundamental 
faculties  of  which  have,  by  the  general  consent  of 
metaphysicians  and  psychologists,  been  classed  into 
two  principal  divisions,  distinguished  as  the  intellec- 
tual and  the  moral.  To  the  former  have  been  assign- 
ed the  functions  of  gathering  from  the  external  world 
of  matter  and  of  mind,  the  various  stores  of  knowl- 
edge— analyzing,  classifying  and  arranging  the  trea- 
sures of  science  and  experience,  and  placing  them  at 
the  disposal  of  the  judgment  and  the  will ;  while  to 
the  latter  have  been  assigned,  on  the  one  hand,  those 
higher  and  nobler  sentiments,  which,  in  their  legiti- 
mate action,  aided  by  the  clear  light  of  the  unclouded 
intellect,  fulfil  the  moral  law  of  the  Creator  and 
delight  to  know  and  to  do  his  will ;  and  on  the  other 
the  lower  passions  and  propensities,  each  having  its 
appropriate  and  beneficial  function  in  the  economy 
of  being,  but  liable  to  be  perverted  from  its  proper 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.     33 

sphere,  and   when   so   perverted,  endowed  with  a 
fearful  power  for  evil. 

7.  In  order  to  a  proper  appreciation  of  truth, 
whether  with  reference  to  the  phenomena  of  the 
external  world,  or  to  those  complicated  operations 
of  thought,  feeling  and  passion,  which  shape  the 
character  and  round  the  destiny  of  every  human 
being,  the  intellect  must  be  enlightened.  Its  culti- 
vation accordingly,  is  not  only  a  duty,  but  speedily 
becomes  a  pleasure.  To  those  accustomed  to  the 
indulgence  of  literary  and  scientific  pursuits,  it  is 
often  a  luxury,  compared  with  which  the  most  at- 
tractive allurements  of  the  senses  sink  into  insignifi- 
cance. That  is  indeed  a  noble  and  a  glorious  prerog- 
ative, which  enables  us  to  accumulate  and  appropri- 
ate the  rich  stores  of  ancient  and  modern  wisdom ; 
to  travel  back  to  the  primeval  annals  of  mankind, 
and  trace  the  varying  fortunes  of  the  race  from  its 
incipient  efforts  at  civilization,  through  the  labyrinths 
of  ignorance,  error,  delusion,  crime  and  suffering ;  to 
follow  the  progress  of  invention  and  discovery  in  the 
arts  and  sciences  ;  to  accompany  the  great,  the 
good,  the  learned,  and  the  wise,  in  their  sacrifices, 
their  exertions,  their  trials,  and  their  triumphs  ;  to 
explore  the  arcana  of  the  universe — evolve  its  sub- 
lime and  yet  simple  laws — compass  its  immensity 
and  analyze  its  elementary  particles  of  matter ;  to 
enjoy  the  ever  present  and  delightful  converse  of 
those  sages  of  thought  and  prophets  of  humanity,  to 
whom,  from  time  to  time,  in  the  long  lapse  of  ages, 
it  has  been  given  to  be  the  interpreters  and  oracles 
of  the  race,  the  harbingers  of  its  advancement  and 
the  historians  of  its  progress.  Nor  is  this  preroga- 
tive longer  restricted  to  a  favored  few,  or  peculiar  to 
any  rank  or  condition  of  life.  It  exists  alike  in  the 
palace  and  the  cottage  ;  and  like  the  free  sun  and  air 
is  accessible  to  all  degrees  and  all  stations  wherever 


34  MENTAL  AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

the  light  of  civilization  is  diffused.  But  although  its 
judicious  exercise  is  indispensable  to  an  enlightened 
and  comprehensive  cultivation  of  the  mind,  there  are 
a  variety  of  considerations  by  which  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge,  either  for  its  own  sake,  or  in  view  of 
its  immediate  or  contingent  advantages  is  to  be  re- 
strained, modified  and  directed.  While  the  intellect 
should  early  be  trained  to  a  proper  appreciation  of  its 
powers,  and  to  a  readiness,  facility  and  skill  in  their 
use,  adequate  to  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  its  ener- 
gies should  not  be  permitted  to  waste  their  freshness 
and  vigor  in  the  unbounded  domains  of  the  imag- 
ination— in  unprofitable  searches  for  those  recondite 
treasures  of  knowledge,  inapplicable  to  the  practical 
purposes  or  pursuits  of  life,  or  in  vague  and  aimless 
wanderings  over  those  inviting  fields  of  literary 
verdure  which  stretch  out  in  boundless  perspective 
wherever  the  fertile  seeds  of  Genius  have  been  scat- 
tered, or  its  exuberant  fruits  have  been  matured. 
1  Utility '  should  be  inscribed  upon  the  portals  of  the 
lofty  temple  of  Intellectual  Culture ;  and  an  intelli- 
gent design,  and  a  constant  and  pervading  reference 
to  the  elaboration  and  growth  of  character  should 
ever  be  kept  in  view.  The  attainment  of  valuable 
and  substantial  knowledge  must  be  effected,  not  by 
a  passive  reception  of  the  ideas  and  sentiments  of 
others,  but  by  mastering  not  only  the  results  of 
thorough  exploration  in  the  regions  of  literature  and 
science,  but  the  roeans  by  which  those  results  were 
accomplished,  and  the  principles  from  whence  they 
were  deduced.  We  may,  indeed,  and  must,  avail 
ourselves  of  the  observation  and  experience  of  those 
who  have  preceded  us  in  the  various  regions  of  in- 
quiry ;  but  to  do  so  effectually,  wisely  and  well,  we 
must  render  their  knowledge  and  experience  our 
own,  by  analyzing  the  process  by  which  it  was  de- 
rived, and  subjecting  its  results  to  the  crucible  of  our 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.      35 

own  mental  organization.  The  rapid  and  unprece- 
dented accumulation  of  publications  whieh  distin- 
guishes the  present  day,  embracing  every  subject  of 
thought,  inquiry  and  imagination,  increases  in  a  very 
great  degree  the  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  an 
indiscriminating  and  unappropriating  intellectual 
culture,  if  culture  it  may  be  called.  The  rich  fruits 
of  knowledge  Avill  inevitably  be  prevented  from  the 
attainment  of  a  seasonable  maturity,  by  the  unchecked 
prevalence  of  those  noxious  weeds  with  which  their 
germs  are  encompassed.  The  native  strength  and 
fertility  of  the  soil,  may  perhaps  ultimately  enable  it 
to  neutralize  and  overcome  these  formidable  influ- 
ences, and  to  yield  an  abundant  and  profitable  har- 
vest ;  but  an  important  portion  of  its  luxuriance  will 
nevertheless  have  been  expended  in  the  nourishment 
of  useless  and  hurtful  tares. 

S.  The  great  and  radical  error  of  all  our  systems 
of  intellectual  culture,  undoubtedly  consists  in  the 
practical  assumption  that  the  mere  acquisition  of 
knowledge  is  the  grand  panacea  for  all  the  evils  of 
ignorance  and  error.  A  wall  of  separation  has  too 
often  been  built  up  between  the  intellect  and  the 
heart ;  and  while  the  one  has  been  consigned  to  the 
educator  to  be  polished,  refined  and  strengthened,  the 
other  has  been  left  exposed  to  the  chilling  influences 
of  the  world,  to  assume  whatever  hue,  circumstances 
and  inclination  may  chance  to  give  it.  As  life  ad- 
vances, this  unnatural  barrier  is  levelled  by  the 
storms  of  passion  and  the  tempests  of  adverse  for- 
tune ;  and  in  the  conflict  which  ensues,  the  victory 
is  seldom  long  in  suspense ;  and  the  blooming  and 
graceful  flowers  of  genius  and  fancy  and  taste  are 
either  crushed  at  once,  or  reserved  to  grace  the  tri- 
umphal car  of  the  passions.  All  experience  has 
demonstrated  that  the  intellect  is  to  a  very  great 
extent  the  minister  of  the  heart ;  ready  to  act  in 


36  MENTAL    AND    1MOHAL    CULTURE. 

prompt  subserviency  to  the  dictates  of  the  will,  and 
the  prevailing  impulse  of  the  affective  emotions,  from 
whatsoever  motive  these  dictates  and  impulses  may 
emanate.  If  '  from  the  heart  proceed  evil  thoughts  ' 
and  all  the  long  array  of  vices  and  crimes  which 
degrade  and  brutalize  humanity,  the  resources  of  the 
intellect  will  be  exhausted  in  devising  the  most  effi- 
cient means  for  their  consummation  and  for  exemp- 
tion from  their  consequences.  If 'vaulting  ambition,' 
blind  to  the  desolating  results  of  its  reckless  career — 
heedless  of  the  misery  which  it  inflicts  and  induces 
— and  attentive  only  to  the  accomplishment  of  its 
far-reaching  designs  of  personal  aggrandizement  and 
power,  tramples  alike  upon  conscience,  religion,  jus- 
tice and  mercy, — the  intellectual  powers  explore  their 
wide  domain  for  materials  wherewith  to  decorate  the 
altar,  and  strengthen  and  perpetuate  the  dominion  of 
this  usurper  of  the  moral  empire  of  the  soul.  If 
avarice  wields  the  truncheon  of  the  heart,  the  knowl- 
edge acquired  from  the  vast  store-house  of  ancient 
lore  and  modern  research,  will  be  concentrated  in  the 
accumulation  of  congenial  food  for  grasping  selfish- 
ness and  greedy  appropriation.  If  demoniac  revenge 
and  vindictive  cruelty  predominate  in  the  moral  king- 
dom, intellect  devises  the  opportunity  and  the  means — 
removes  every  intervening  obstacle— and  directs  the 
way  to  vengeance,  oppression,  terror  and  devastation, 
On  the  other  hand,  when  benevolence,  justice,  mercy 
and  truth  sit  enthroned  in  the  heart — -when  the  dark- 
er passions  no  longer  venture  to  renew  the  conflict 
with  the  soul — when  each  appetite  and  propensity 
has  attained  the  limits  beyond  which  it  is  not  permit- 
ted to  pass — the  intellectual  powers  shine  forth  with 
a  hallowed  and  resplendent  radiance,  expanding  the 
circle  of  those  exalted  virtues  which  form  the  conge- 
nial atmosphere  of  the  higher  nature. 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.     37 

9.  The  paramount  importance,  therefore,  of  a 
thorough  and  enlightened  ,  discipline  of  the  moral 
nature,  having  for  its  object  the  entire  subjugation  of 
the  passions  and  propensities,  to  the  supremacy  of 
the  conscience,  the  reason  and  the  unperverted  judg- 
ment, cannot  fail  to  be  at  once  perceived  and  univer- 
sally recognized  arid  admitted.  Were  our  being 
higher  in  degree  only,  but  not  differing  in  kind  from 
that  of  the  animal  creation,  its  perfection  might  be 
sought  and  attained  in  the  cultivation  of  the  physical 
nature.  Were  our  existence  comprised  within  the  -. 
brief  limits  assigned  to  humanity  in  the  present  £ 

world,  we  might,  perhaps,  find  our  highest  wisdom 
in  augmenting  and  mastering  the  treasures  of  knowl- 
edge transmitted  to  us  from  the  successive  genera- 
tions which  have  peopled  the  earth,  and  might  ac- 
complish the  ends  of  our  being,  by  the  perfection  and 
skilful  exercise  of  our  intellectual  powers.  But 
conscious  as  we  are  of  the  possession  of  various 
faculties,  in  common  with  the  numerous  orders  of 
organic  existence  below  our  species,  we  are  equally 
conscious  that  we  occupy  a  higher  scale  in  the  econ- 
omy of  being  ;  that  the  material  and  physical  struc- 
ture of  our  bodies  and  the  wonderful  faculties  of  our 
mind,  are  adapted  to  and  designed  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  objects  which  are  to  survive  the  frail 
and  perishable  tenement  in  which  and  by  means  of 
which,  they  are  now  conducted  and  matured.  While 
we  recognize  the  perpetual  presence  of  a  principle 
implanted  in  our  nature  which  prompts  us  to  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge,  and  to  those  incessant 
combinations  of  intellectual  perceptions  which  en- 
able us  to  range  uncontrolled  over  the  illimitable  \£~ 
universe,  we,  at  the  same  time,  find  ourselves  sur- 
rounded by  interests  and  relations,  responsibilities 
and  dependences,  involving  the  interest  and  the  \J^ 
welfare  of  our  fellow  beings,  which  demand  of  us, 


400527 


38  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

at  every  advancing  step  of  our  progress,  the  perform- 
ance of  active  and  passive  duties,  serious  and  dis- 
passionate reflection,  cautious  discrimination,  sound 
judgment,  and  prompt  determination  between  con- 
flicting motives.  Intimations,  too,  of  the  future, 
strengthening  and  gathering  force  and  consistency 
as  we  advance  in  the  journey  of  life  and  approach 
the  confines  of  eternity — dim  conceptions  of  the 
solemn  grandeur  of  that  destiny  which  is  so  soon 
and  so  surely  to  open  upon  us,  and  of  the  vast  capac- 
ities of  that  nature,  whose  imperfect  rudiments  we 
are  now  painfully  struggling  to  evolve — proclaim  the 
insufficiency  of  mere  knowledge  to  fulfil  the  requi- 
sitions of  humanity. 

10.  There  are  moments  in  the  life  of  every  man, 
whatever  may  be  his  intellectual,  social  or  moral 
condition,  when  the  great  problem  of  Existence  is 
deeply  and  seriously  pondered.  Whence  are  we  ? 
Of  what  are  the  wonderful  and  mysterious  elements 
which  constitute  thought,  reason,  and  understanding, 
composed  ?  Why  are  we  here,  and  for  what  pur- 
pose ?  and  what  is  to  be  our  destination  when,  with 
the  countless  myriads  of  intelligent  beings  who  have 
preceded  us,  we  pass  that  fearful  barrier  beyond 
which  mortal  vision  has  never  penetrated  ?  From 
whence  proceed  the  moral  and  physical  evils  with 
which  we  are  surrounded  ?  and  why  are  they  per- 
mitted in  a  world,  where  but  for  their  prevailing  in- 
fluences, the  animate  and  inanimate  creation  conspire 
to  realize  the  perfection  of  omnipotent  benevolence 
and  wisdom  ?  Are  these  evils  a  necessary  part  of 
the  great  scheme  of  things — inseparable  from  our 
condition — beyond  our  control— incapable  of  any 
essential  modification  by  any  exertions  of  ours  ?  or 
are  they  the  natural  and  inevitable  results  of  succes- 
sive violations  of  the  original  and  established  laws  of 
our  being — the  consequences  of  ignorance  or  guilt 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.     39 

on  our  part — and  therefore  susceptible  of  mitigation 
at  least,  if  riot  of  final  and  complete  eradication  ? 
May  we  look  forward  to  the  ultimate  realization,  in 
the  advancing  progress  of  the  race,  of  those  bright 
visions  of  philanthropists  which  point  to  the  perfec- 
tion of  man's  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  nature, 
and  to  his  consequent  enjoyment  of  the  full  measure 
of  happiness  of  which  that  nature  is  suceptible  ? 

11.  It  is  undoubtedly  for  the  attainment  of  these 
high  ends  that  we  are  created — that  thought  and 
reason  were  conferred  upon  us — and  that  all  the  won- 
derful and  complicated  machinery  of  our  physical 
nature  was  constructed  in  perfect  harmony  with 
those  higher  and  nobler  attributes  which  separate  us 
from  the  animal  creation.  The  solemn  records  of 
revelation  combine  with  the  irresistible  promptings 
of  nature  with  her  thousand  voices  from  without, 
and  the  assurances  of  the  faithful  monitor  within,  to 
fasten  upon  us  the  great  truth,  that  here— be  our 
earthly  career  longer  or  shorter — happy  or  miserable 
— whether  we  have  known  and  performed  our  duty, 
or  haply  failed  to  perceive  it  and  groped  our  devious 
way  in  ignorance  and  doubt  and  error — to  how  much 
soever  we  may  have  attained  in  intellectual  or  moral 
excellence — or  how  little  progress  we  may  have 
made  in  the  knowledge  of  the  elementary  principles 
of  our  nature — our  existence  is  yet  in  the  first  feeble 
stages  of  its  infancy.  Here  and  there,  in  the  lapse 
of  ages  we  are  permitted  to  witness  partial  develope- 
ments  of  the  capacity  of  humanity,  even  here — of  the 
sublimity  and  grandeur  to  which  the  moral  and  in- 
tellectual faculties  may  aspire.  '  Like  angel's  visits, 
few  and  far  between,'  men  have  appeared,  whose 
lives  have  signally  and  beautifully  illustrated  the 
purest  and  most  exalted  virtues  in  the  midst  of  cir- 
cumstances the  most  gloomy  and  discouraging.  Up- 
on each  and  every  member  of  the  human  family  is 


40  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

conferred  the  same  godlike  nature  ;  and  however  re- 
stricted may  now  be  its  field  of  action — however  dim 
and  feeble  its  manifestations  under  the  inexplicable 
modifications  of  that  organization  which  constitutes 
life — however  perverted  from  its  original  destination 
by  the  variable  and  powerful  pressure  of  external 
circumstances — we  are  not  permitted  to  doubt  that  it 
will  ultimately  fulfil  its  destiny  and  assume  its  ap- 
propriate place  in  the  great  scheme  of  creative  wis- 
dom and  benevolence. 

12.  To  attain,  then,  to  a  true  conception  of  '  ojur 
being's  end  and  aim  ' — to  reach  that  high  eminence 
of  mental  culture  from  whence  we  can  calmly  survey 
the  sinuosities  of  our  past  course,  and  confidently 
direct  its  future  progress — we  must  primarily  sound 
the  depths  of  our  moral  nature.  We  must  ascertain 
the  comparative  strength,  resources  and  capabilities 
of  each  of  those  faculties,  which  separately  and  in 
every  variety  of  combination  are  destined  to  exert  a 
controlling  influence  upon  our  future  character.  We 
must  fortify,  reinforce  and  strengthen  the  citadels  of 
the  heart ;  disarm  the  passions  of  their  power  to  in- 
jure ;  render  them  tributary  to  virtue,  amenable  to 
conscience,  and  subservient  to  the  supremacy  of  en- 
lightened reason  ;  and  establish  upon  the  firm  basis 
of  revelation  and  truth,  that  empire  of  mind  which 
the  wildest  storms  of  external  fortune  shall  be  unable 
to  shake,  or  the  most  formidable  combinations  of 
adverse  fate  to  overthrow  or  subdue.  Without  this, 
intellectual  power  is  of  no  avail.  It  becomes  a  '  flam- 
ing sword  turning  every  way,'  but  not  '  to  guard  the 
tree  of  life.'  Of  itself,  it  constitutes  not  human  ex- 
cellence. It  co-exists,  as  we  have  already  seen,  with 
qualities  diametrically  opposite  in  their  nature  ;  and 
sheds  as  clear  a  light  upon  the  deadliest  machina- 
tions of  the  depraved  and  guilty  mind,  as  upon  the 
loftiest  aspirations  of  the  wise  and  good.  In  connec- 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.     41 

tion  with,  and  in  subordination  to  the  moral  senti- 
ments, it  expands  the  mind,  and  gives  depth  and  solid- 
ity to  the  character  :  while  at  the  same  time  it  induces 
humility  in  the  contemplation  of  the  restricted  limits 
within  which  its  highest  exertions  are  circumscribed 
— the  mere  point,  in  the  vast  immensity  of  the  uni- 
verse, which  it  can  hope  to  analyze  or  apprehend. 
But  it  is  in  this  connection  only,  that  it  becomes  a 
blessing.  When  its  rays  illume  the  dark  recesses 
of  guilt,  it  is  only  to  shed  a  baleful  glare.  When 
it  feeds  the  flame  of  passion,  furnishes  aliment 
to  unchastened  ambition,  promotes  the  views  of 
absorbing  selfishness,  pampers  the  appetite  or  ex- 
alts the  pride  of  its  possessor ;  when  the  book  of 
knowledge  is  opened  only  to  discover  or  invent  more 
extensive  and  efficient  means  of  strengthening  the 
ascendency  and  securing  the  dominion  of  those  ani- 
mal propensities  which  have  enslaved  the  higher  na- 
ture ;  when  the  Avonders  of  creation — the  uniform 
adaptation  of  the  most  perfect  means  to  the  highest 
ends  of  wisdom,  benevolence  and  goodness — the  in- 
cessant developements  of  the  vastness,  the  grandeur 
and  sublimity  of  the  physical  and  moral  universe, 
excite  no  responsive  thrill  of  admiration,  gratitude 
and  deep  humility — lead  to  no  high  appreciation  of 
the  dignity  and  value  of  the  soul — no  lofty  concep- 
tion of  the  true  destiny  of  humanity — the  cultivation 
of  the  intellectual  powers  serves  no  higher  purpose 
than  that  of  decorating  with  gaudy  pageantry  the 
hollow  sepulchre  of  the  soul. 

13.  It  is  not  from  the  amount,  the  extent,  or  the 
variety  of  our  knowledge,  that  our  position  in  the 
universe,  our  character,  our  capabilities  of  usefulness 
or  of  progress,  or  our  future  destiny  is  to  be  deter- 
mined. It  is  the  use  we  make  of  the  talents  which 
have  been  confided  to  our  keeping — the  purposes 
4 


42  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

they  subserve — the  spirit,  the  faith,  the  obedience 
with  which  they  are  husbanded — that  constitute  the 
test  of  merit,  and  afford  the  basis  upon  which  a  right- 
eous judgment  is  to  be  pronounced  upon  the  results 
of  our  existence ;  and  in  the  retributions  of  eternity, 
conduct  and  motive  are  weighed  in  a  balance,  ad- 
mitting of  no  preponderance  in  favor  of  the  most 
ample  intellectual  acquirement,  unaccompanied  by 
any  corresponding  fruit  in  the  character  and  the  life. 
The  principle  cannot  be  too  strongly  inculcated  & 
enforced  that  knowledge  alone,  however  varied  o* 
extended — talent  and  genius,  however  brilliant — in- 
tellectual power,  however  vigorous,  discriminating 
and  acute — can  never  constitute  that  moral  worth, 
that  commanding  elevation  of  character,  that  dignity 
of  being,  and  those  fair  and  beautiful  proportions  of 
mental  structure,  which  make  up  the  ideal  of  hu- 
manity, and  give  to  our  nature  its  intrinsic  value  and 
nobility.  It  is  only  when  the  supremacy  of  the 
moral  nature  is  firmly  established — when  we  have 
accustomed  ourselves  to  refer  every  suggestion,  every 
impulse,  every  desire  and  motive  to  the  searching 
ordeal  of  that  tribunal  which  the  Creator  has  placed 
as  his  vice-gerent  in  the  soul,  that  we  may  profitably 
explore  the  vast  arcana  of  nature  and  of  art,  for  those 
treasures  of  knowledge,  which  will  then  and  then 
only  unfold  to  our  intellectual  conception  their  true 
uses  and  ends.  In  the  moral,  as  in  the  physical 
world,  the  most  nutritious  and  invigorating  sub- 
stances are  dependent  for  their  efficacious  and  salu- 
tary results  upon  the  healthy  condition  of  the  system 
which  partakes  of  their  qualities.  That  intellectual 
aliment  which  to  the  mind  properly  disciplined  and 
matured  for  its  reception  becomes  assimilated  and 
incorporated  with  its  essence,  strengthening,  invigor- 
ating and  replenishing  all  its  energies,  to  another, 


PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND  MORAL  CULTURE.    43 

languid  perhaps  and  feeble  from  inaction,  debilitated 
by  indiscriminating  indulgence,  or  excited  to  an 
unnatural  tension  by  the  unregulated  and  undue 
action  of  the  passions,  so  far  from  communicating 
elasticity  and  health,  increases  existing  disorder, 
introduces  new  sources  of  disease  and  fatally  de- 
ranges the  entire  mental  constitution.  That  which 
to  the  one  is  a  '  savor  of  life  unto  life '  not  unfre- 
quently  proves  to  the  other  a  '  savor  of  death  unto 
death.' 

14.  True  elevation  and  dignity  of  character 
are  dependent,  not  upon  intellectual  supremacy, 
but  upon  moral  worth.  Those  minds  which  have 
impressed  their  stamp  upon  after  ages — the  found- 
ers of  systems — the  pioneers  of  thought — the  re- 
formers of  the  world — have  been  distinguished  for 
nothing  so  much  as  for  the  simplicity,  purity,  and 
'daily  beauty'  of  their  lives.  They  have  not  in- 
deed been  exempted  from  fallibility,  from  error,  or 
from  the  frailties  and  weaknesses  incident  to  humani- 
ty in  its  best  estate  ;  but  they  have  successfully  strug- 
gled with  and  subdued  those  formidable  tendencies 
to  evil,  which  find  so  congenial  an  abode  in  the  un- 
disciplined mind  ;  and  truth  and  nature,  to  their 
comprehension,  have  been  revealed  through  an  at- 
mosphere disencumbered  from  the  heavy  mists  of 
passion  and  the  grosser  particles  of  vice  and  guilt. 
The  progressive  and  harmonious  developemcnt  of 
all  the  faculties  of  our  nature — the  adaptation  of  each 
to  its  peculiar  and  appropriate  sphere  of  action  and 
of  duty — a  thorough  and  equal  cultivation  of  all — 
and  the  systematic  and  enlightened  advancement  of 
their  combined  influences  to  the  great  purposes  of 
existence,  here  and  hereafter  ;  these  are  the  true 
constituents  of  sound  mental  and  moral  discipline — 
the  indispensable  elements  of  that  culture  and  charac- 


44  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

ter  which  the  exalted  interests  of  humanity  demand. 
The  undue  preponderance  of  any  faculty  or  combi- 
nation of  faculties,  whatever  may  be  its  legitimate 
capacities  for  usefulness,  or  the  peculiar  and  appro- 
priate sphere  of  action  for  which  it  may  be  designed, 
deranges  and  disturbs  this  essential  harmony,  and 
becomes  productive  of  disorder  and  evil.  None  of 
the  passions  or  propensities  implanted  in  the  consti- 
tution of  our  being  are  destitute  of  a  sphere  of  action 
and  of  motive,  within  which  their  manifestation  is 
not  only  innocent,  but  salutary  and  even  indispen- 
sable ;  and  many  of  the  sentiments  which  we  are 
most  accustomed  to  reverence  and  admire,  may,  and 
by  no  means  unfrequently  do,  act  from  the  impulse 
of  mere  passion — the  exuberance  of  irrepressible 
sympathy — from  habit — from  constitutional  tendency 
— and  from  the  operation  of  motives  often  as  excep- 
tionable as  those  which  prompt  to  their  opposite 
vices. 


THE   NATURE    AND   MISSION    OF    GENIUS.  45 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  NATURE  AND  MISSION  OF  GENIUS. 

1.  IT  has  been  •  observed  that  men,  in  all  ages 
have  essentially  differed  in  the  possession  of  general 
and  particular  talents,  whether  connected  with  the 
cultivation  of  science  and  the  arts,  or  pertaining  to 
that  species  of  mental  power  which  confers  moral 
superiority  and  strength  of  character.  These  differ- 
ences have  obviously  not  been  the  result  of  mere 
volition,  nor  have  they  been  capable  of  essential 
diminution,  much  less  of  eradication,  by  the  utmost 
exertions  of  human  means.  Hence,  doubtless,  has 
originated  the  infinite  variety  of  character  and  at- 
tainment which  has  always  existed,  and  which  is  so 
universally  apparent.  In  the  ordinary  intercourse  of 
society,  we  experience  no  difficulty  in  detecting 
among  the  mass  of  men  congregated  in  the  great 
thoroughfares  of  civilization,  the  most  palpable  shades 
of  intellectual  and  moral  difference  ;  while  perhaps 
but  very  few -rise  to  any  remarkable  extent  above  the 
ordinary  level  of  the  society  of  which  they  form  a 
part.  Occasionally,  however,  we  meet  with  those, 
whose  intellectual  powers,  wholly  or  in  part,  seem  to 
expand  without  effort  to  the  highest  degree  of  ad- 
vancement, and  to  embrace  at  once  and  intuitively 
the  utmost  extent  of  science  and  knowledge  compris- 
ed within  the  range  of  the  peculiar  faculties  thus 
vigorously  manifested.  These  extraordinary  devel- 
opements  of  the  mental  functions  however,  rarely 
include  the  entire  circle  of  the  intellectual  or  moral 
attributes  of  our  nature ;  and  accordingly  we  almost 


46  MENTAL   AND   MORAL    CULTURE. 

invariably  find  the  highest  efforts  of  genius  concen- 
trated upon  some  favorite  department  of  exertion  in 
which  its  energies  are  exhausted,  while  in  all  the 
other  walks  of  science,  mediocrity  alone  is  apparent. 
2.  The  manifestations  of  this  superiority  of  en- 
dowment have,  not  unfrequently,  been  ascribed  in  a 
great  degree  to  the  presence  and  operation  of  adven- 
titious causes ;  and  regarded  as  the  consequence 
rather  of  education,  habit  and  discipline,  joined  to  a 
favorable  combination  of  external  circumstances,  than 
of  any  radical  inequality  of  natural  gifts.  Notwith- 
standing the  universal  prevalence  of  the  most  oppo- 
site and  distinctive  peculiarities  of  character  and  at- 
tainment, the  conclusion  has  been  deduced  that  no 
fundamental  diversity  of  faculties  existed ;  that  the 
inclination,  the  will  and  the  necessary  exertion  were 
alone  requisite,  in  the  absence  of  any  external  obsta- 
cle, to  place  each  intelligent  individual  of  the  species 
upon  a  footing  of  equality  with  those  who  have  man- 
ifested the  utmost  compass  of  mental  power.  It  has 
not  been  without  a  long  and  severe  struggle  that  this 
flattering  doctrine  of  the  essential  equality  of  the 
mental  faculties,  has  at  length  been  generally  aban- 
doned as  utterly  untenable  by  reason,  and  unfounded 
in  nature.  The  irresistible  mass  of  evidence  estab- 
lishing apparently  beyond  the  possibility  of  cavil,  a 
doctrine  more  in  consonance  with  the  experience  and 
good  sense  of  mankind,  has,  it  is  true,  been  ingen- 
iously sought  to  be  parried  by  urging  the  known  and 
powerful  influence  of  climate,  education,  habit  and 
circumstances,  over  the  formation  and  developement 
of  character.  A  thorough  investigation,  however,  of 
the  elementary  principles  of  mental  philosophy  has 
abundantly  demonstrated  that  much  as  these  and 
similar  influences  may  modify,  they  can  neither 
create,  nor  materially  control,  the  predominant  facul- 
ties of  our  nature. 


THE    NATURE    AND   MISSION    OF    GENIUS.  47 

3.  If  the  proposition  be  true  that  we  can  infer  the 
existence,  extent  and  variety  of  the  mental  faculties, 
only  from  their  different  manifestations,  the  conclu- 
sion is  irresistible  that  intellectual  and  moral  powers 
have  been  unequally  bestowed  upon  the  human  fam- 
ily, and  that  Genius  owes  its  triumphs  to  a  source 
essentially  independent  as  well  of  any  external  com- 
bination of  circumstances,  as  of  extraordinary  mental 
application,  habit  or  discipline.  In  the  idiot  no  ex- 
ternal indications,  of  the  presence  and  operation  of 
intellectual  or  moral  faculties  are  discernible,  and 
we  therefore  invariably  and  justly  infer  their  non- 
existence  in  the  constitution  of  his  being,  or  at  least, 
(and  for  the  purposes  of  our  argument,  the  effect  is 
precisely  the  same,)  the  non-existence  or  complete 
derangement  of  the  physical  organs  by  means  of 
which  alone  they  can,  in  this  world,  be  manifested. 
In  the  natives  of  New  Holland,  portions  of  Africa 
and  Asia,  and  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  the 
manifestations  of  these  faculties  are  feeble  and  inef- 
ficient, barely  sufficing  for  the  lowest  condition  of 
human  existence ;  and  we  accordingly  assign  to 
these  unfortunate  and  degraded  beings,  a  correspond- 
ing deficiency  in  mental  and  moral  organization. 
On  the  other  hand,  in  the  civilized  nations  of  the 
globe,  the  arts  and  sciences  are  cultivated,  the  imag- 
ination expands,  the  moral  affections  are  constantly 
called  into  active  exercise,  civil  and  religious  institu- 
tions are  established  and  maintained,  and  the  vast 
machinery  of  society  harmoniously  revolves,  dispen- 
sing its  innumerable  blessings,  and  carrying  forward, 
with  gigantic  strides,  the  destinies  of  the  race  ;  and 
here  we  reach  the  highest  developement,  and  infer 
the  presence  of  the  most  exalted  intellectual  and 
moral  capacities.  But  here  too,  we  are  called  upon 
to  distinguish  the  greatest  variety  of  developement, 
among  the  individuals  who  compose  these  various 


48  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

communities,  from  the  wretched  outcasts  who  linger 
on  the  confines  of  barbarism,  the  incurably  vicious,  or 
hopelessly  imbecile,  up  to  the  Bacons,  the  Napoleons, 
and  the  Franklins,  who  occupy  the  highest  niches  in 
the  temple  of  fame. 

4.  This  variety  will  be  found  to  exist,  so  far  as 
we  are  able  to  discover,  wholly  irrespective  and  in- 
dependent of  external  circumstances,  of  education,  of 
rank  or  station,  of  the  determination  of  the  will,  or 
in  short,  of  any  artificial  or  extraneous  appliances, 
physical  or  moral.  In  numerous  well  authenticated 
instances,  the  peculiar  direction  and  extraordinary 
energy  of  the  mental  faculties,  do  not  even  await  the 
period  ordinarily  assigned  to  their  earliest  develope* 
ment.  Handel,  Haydn,  and  Mozart  conceived  and 
executed  the  most  difficult  and  complicated  pieces  of 
music  before  the  age  of  twelve  years.  Raphael,  at 
the  same  immature  period,  had  exhibited  the  most 
decided  and  unequivocal  proofs  of  the  splendid  tal- 
ents as  an  artist  for  which  he  afterwards  became  so 
celebrated ;  and  our  own  eminent  painter  West, 
equally  early  displayed  a  power  of  conception,  and  a 
facility  and  happiness  of  execution,  surpassing,  in 
his  own  mature  judgment,  any  of  his  subsequent 
attainments.  Pascal,  without  even  the  aid  of  an 
instructor,  had  before  the  age  of  sixteen  mastered  the 
elements  of  Euclid,  and  written  a  treatise  on  conic 
sections ;  and  the  peculiar  genius  of  Canova  was 
developed  at  a  still  earlier  period.  Milton,  Pope  and 
Cowley,  to  use  the  language  of  Dr.  Johnson,  '  gave 
such  early  proofs  not  only  of  powers  of  language  but 
of  comprehension  of  things  as  to  more  tardy  minds 
seems  scarcely  credible.'  Metastasio,  in  early  child- 
hood, amused  himself  with  extemporary  poetical 
composition  ;  and  the  extraordinary  powers  of  mind 
of  Dante  prematurely  wasted  his  physical  energies, 
and  subjected  his  too  susceptible  temperament  to 


THE   NATURE   AND   MISSION   OF   GENIUS.  49 

constant  suffering.  The  records  of  history  and  biog- 
raphy and  the  biographies  of  distinguished  individu- 
als in  the  various  walks  of  literature  and  science, 
present  numerous  similar  illustrations  of  the  strongly 
marked  precocity  of  Genius ;  and  our  own  observa- 
tion, not  un  frequently  enables  us  to  verify  their  fidel- 
ity and  to  recognize  their  conformity  to  nature. 
The  almost  supernatural  mathematical  powers  of 
Zerah  Colburn,  at  the  age  of  five  years,  and  the 
thrilling  bursts  of  poetry  which  spontaneously  flowed 
from  the  pens  of  Lucretia  Maria  Davison  and  her 
no  less  gifted  and  unfortunate  sister,  are  striking 
instances  of  mental  endowments,  closely  bordering 
upon  instinctive  powers. 

5.  There  have  been  men  too  in  every  age,  who, 
in  the  fulfilment  of  the  mission  confided  to  them  by 
Genius,  have  surmounted  the  most  discouraging 
obstacles  of  adverse  fortune ;  who,  in  spite  of  diffi- 
culties, which  to  ordinary  minds  would  have  proved 
utterly  disheartening,  have  risen  to  eminence  ;  who, 
unaided  and  alone,  have  sought  out  the  fountains  of 
knowledge  and  the  repositories  of  science  ;  and  who, 
sustained  by  their  intrinsic  greatness  of  soul  have 
waged  a  triumphant  warfare  with  the  powerful  ad- 
verse influences  which  opposed  their  progress.  Mil- 
lions of  the  human  race  since  the  world  began  have, 
in  their  generation,  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  wealth, 
of  station,  and  of  leisure.  The  various  paths  of  sci- 
ence and  wisdom  to  such  have  been  invitingly 
thrown  open,  and  strewed  with  flowers ;  and  yet 
they  have  left  no  abiding  memorial  of  their  existence 
— bequeathed  to  the  world  no  rich  inheritance  of 
thought — transmitted  to  posterity  no  legacy  of  undy- 
ing fame.  They  doubtless  fulfilled,  more  or  less 
worthily,  more  or  less  faithfully,  their  part  in  the 
great  drama  of  existence  ;  they  toiled,  they  suffered ; 
5 


50  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

by  turns  they  became  the  victims  of  the  craft,  the 
power,  the  oppression  of  their  fellows,  and  of  the  still 
more  unrelenting  domination  of  their  own  passions 
and  propensities  ;  and  '  life's  fitful  fever  o'er,  they 
sleep  well.'  But  neither  physical  obstacles  nor  unpro- 
pitious  circumstances — neither  depressing  poverty  nor 
perverse  opposition — neither  '  principalities  nor  pow- 
ers'  have  been  able  to  arrest  the  progress  or  stay  the 
resistless  career  of  Genius,  in  its  ascent  to  greatness 
and  to  fame.  It  matters  not  whether  the  future  hero, 
philosopher,  poet,  artist,  or  statesman,  be  born  and 
nourished  in  the  pavilions  of  princes,  or  the  obscure 
recesses  of  a  lonely  garret — whether  the  bright  sun 
of  prosperity  illumine  his  opening  fortunes,  or  the 
thickest  clouds  of  adversity  encompass  the  horizon 
of  his  hopes  ;  his  irrepressible  energies  burst  asunder 
with  equal  ease  and  certainty  the  silken  bonds  of 
effeminacy,  and  the  iron  chains  of  adverse  fate. 
Surrounded  by  the  most  unpropitious  circumstances, 
and  without  the  aid  of  fortune,  friends  or  adventitious 
influence,  Shakspeare  poured  forth  the  masterly  effu- 
sions of  his  varied  and  profound  intellect.  Milton's 
'  Paradise  Lost '  was  produced  under  the  pressure  of 
the  deepest  worldly  gloom,  and  amid  circumstances 
of  the  most  trying  and  painful  nature.  Poverty,  des- 
titution and  hardships  cradled  the  genius  of  Burns, 
and  cares  and  sorrows,  vexations  and  disappoint- 
ments, penury  and  remorse  pursued  him  to  the  tomb. 
The  melting  and  soul-subduing  pathos  of  Tasso  em- 
anated from  the  unbroken  solitude  of  his  dungeon. 
Columbus  painfully  advanced  to  the  great  task  of  a 
world's  discovery,  through  long  years  of  privation, 
despondency  and  discouragement.  The  splendid 
discoveries  of  Kepler  were  promulgated  in  the  midst 
of  the  most  harassing  penury  and  destitution.  Heyne's 
meridian  of  life  had  been  overpassed  before  one  soli- 
tary gleam  of  prosperous  fortune  relieved  the  heavy 


THE    NATL'SE    AND    MISSION    OF    GENIUS.  51 

gloom  which  had  brooded  over  its  morning-sky ;  and 
Claude  Lorrain  and  Salvator  Rosa  sustained  an  in- 
cessant and  unequal  conflict  with  hardships  and  dif- 
ficulties innumerable  and  trying.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  muse  of  Byron  would  not  have  soared  to  a  less 
lofty  height,  nor  the  intellectual  powers  of  Newton, 
Bacon  or  Boyle,  have  been  circumscribed  within 
narrower  bounds,  had  their  lines  fallen  in  less  pleas- 
ant places.  Are  we  not  warranted,  therefore,  in  the 
assertion  that  the  influence  which  external  circum- 
stances exert  over  the  destiny  of  Genius,  is  inconsid- 
erable and  unimportant  ? 

6.  The  peculiar  direction  which  extraordinary 
intellectual  endowments  assume  in  their  develope- 
ment,  is  not  unfrequently,  perhaps  uniformly,  depen- 
dent upon  the  predominating  influence  of  the  moral 
qualities  of  the  mind.  If  the  higher  and  nobler  sen- 
timents habitually  prevail,  the  tendency  of  the  intel- 
lectual faculties  will  lead  to  the  recognition  and  pro- 
motion of  pursuits  allied  to  benevolence,  justice  and 
philanthropy ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  if  these 
noble  sentiments  are  practically  subordinated  to  the 
control  of  the  passions,  the  talents  bestowed  will  be 
perverted,  and  the  most  brilliant  capacity  serve  only 
the  ignoble  purpose  of  ministering  to  the  most  de- 
praved vices  of  humanity.  The  history  of  the  world 
is  full  of  illustrations  in  support  of  this  proposition. 
How  often  are  we  called  upon  to  lament  the  infat- 
uation with  which  mental  powers  of  the  highest  order 
have  been  perversely  prostituted  to  the  worst  and 
most  degrading  purposes ;  while,  on  the  contrary  j 
with  what  lively  satisfaction  do  we  trace  the  elevated 
and  noble  career  of  the  Franklins,  the  Howards,  the 
Fenelons,  the  Oberlins  of  the  race !  •  Compare  the 
baleful  influence  and  desolating  effects  of  the  unrival- 
led genius  of  Napoleon,  with  the  expanded  patriotism 
-—the  purity  of  life  and  of  purpose  which  so  eminent- 


OZ  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

ly  characterized  our  own  Washington  !  Contrast  the 
demoralizing  tendency  of  Byron's  fitful,  morbid  and 
impassioned  muse,  dazzling  as  may  be  its  splendor 
of  diction  and  of  thought,  with  the  religious  cheerful- 
ness, the  philosophic  serenity,  the  calm  beauty  of 
Wordsworth,  or  of  Bryant. 

7.  The  various  peculiarities  of  mental  and  moral 
character  which  in  every  age  have  made  up  the  ag- 
gregate of  human  life — which  are  often  as  distinct, 
palpable  and  strongly  marked  in  individuals  residing 
in  the  same  community,  moving  in  the  same  sphere 
of  life,  and  even  composing  the  same  family,  as  in 
those  separated  by  continents  and  oceans,  or  occupy- 
ing the  most  dissimilar  stations — are  utterly  incon- 
sistent with  the  hypothesis  of  an  original  equality  of 
endowments.  The  very  admiration  which  we  are 
accustomed  to  lavish  upon  the  productions  of  Genius 
— the  rich  incense  of  praise  which  uniformly  ascends 
to  the  memory  of  those  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  the  exhibition  of  intellectual  or  moral  su- 
premacy— afford  the  most  conclusive  evidence  that 
mankind  have  universally  regarded  such  exhibitions 
as  within  the  mental  compass  of  the  favored  few 
alone.  Who  would  not,  if  he  could,  sound  with 
Shakspeare  each  harmonious  or  discordant  note,  of 
passion  or  of  feeling  in  the  world  of  the  imagination, 
until  its  vibrations  found  an  echo  in  every  human 
bosom  ?  or  soar,  with  Milton,  on  the  strong  wings  of 
thought  to  the  highest  realms  of  the  upper  air  ?  or 
sanctify,  with  Wordsworth,  each  passing  scene  of  life 
by  infusing  into  its  associations  the  '  still  sad  music 
of  humanity  ? '  Who  would  not  delight  to  trace,  with 
Newton,  the  vast  machinery  of  the  universe?  with 
Franklin,  to  disarm  the  elements  ?  or  with  Fulton 
and  Watt  and  Arkwright,  to  confer  new  sources  of 
power  upon  the  physical  energies  of  the  race  ?  Or 
who  would  not,  if  conscious  of  the  ability,  transfer  to 


THE    NATURE   AND   MISSION   OF   GENIUS.  53 

the  canvas,  the  sublime  and  beautiful  conceptions  of  a 
Raphael,  a  Titian,  or  a  Guido  ?  or  emulate  those  sur- 
passing combinations  of  melody  and  harmony,  which 
the  great  Italian  masters  alone  have  been  able  to 
produce  ?  Who  does  not  admire  the  splendid  mani- 
festations of  genius  ?  who  does  not  delight  to  inhale 
its  ethereal  essence — to  appropriate  its  rich  treasures 
of  thought  and  design — to  appreciate  its  intrinsic 
greatness,  and  to  perpetuate  and  consecrate  its  tri- 
umphs ?  Who  does  not,  in  the  language  of  an  elo- 
quent writer,  '  delight  to  watch,  fold  by  fold,  the 
buckling  on  of  the  celestial  panoply,  and  to  witness 
the  leading  forth  of  that  chariot,  which,  borne  on  ir- 
resistible wheels,  and  drawn  by  steeds  of  immortal 
race,  is  destined  to  crush  the  necks  of  the  mighty, 
and  sweep  away  the  serried  strength  of  armies  ! ' 
But  to  ascend  those  lofty  heights  of  intellectual  and 
moral  power,  from  whence  we  may  look  abroad  upon 
the  vast  domain  of  nature  and  penetrate  its  most  se- 
cret recesses,  is  given  only  to  the  master  spirits  of  the 
race.  It  is  nature's  best  and  highest  gift ;  and  when 
withheld  is  unattainable  by  human  means.  Its  re- 
cipient is  impelled  by  an  irresistible  mental  and 
moral  force  to  fulfil  his  high  destiny ;  and  although 
he  may  miserably  pervert  the  faculties  bestowed  up- 
on him,  he  cannot  repress  their  powerful  develope- 
ment.  Whether  they  shall  be  exercised  for  good  or 
for  evil,  may  greatly  depend  upon  the  external  in- 
fluences by  which  he  is  surrounded — upon  the  favor- 
able or  unfavorable  combinations  of  the  mental  con- 
stitution— upon  education,  habit  or  impulse  ;  but  in 
whatever  field  of  action  their  energies  may  be  put 
forth,  their  commanding  influence  will  be  recognized. 
8.  That  seems  therefore  to  be  the  true  philosophy 
of  the  human  mind  in  this  respect,  which  teaches,  as 
the  invariable  result  of  a  faithful  observation  of  na- 
5* 


54  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

ture,  that  the  various  intellectual  and  moral  faculties 
are  possessed  in  different  degrees  by  different  indi- 
viduals ;  that  this  diversity  of  endowment  is  original 
and  innate ;  that  although  it  is  susceptible  to  a  great- 
er or  less  extent  of  modification  by  circumstances, 
education  and  habit,  it  is  neither  created  nor  can  it 
be  materially  affected  by  either  or  by  any  of  these 
causes  ;  and  that  the  phenomena  of  Genius  are  the 
results  of  a  high  degree  of  manifestation  of  the  men- 
tal faculties,  or  of  some  one  or  more  of  them.  It 
follows,  from  this  view  of  the  subject,  that  no  indi- 
vidual has  it  in  his  power,  by  the  utmost  efforts 
of  thought,  application  or  discipline,  so  to  add  to  his 
intellectual  or  moral  stature  as  to  compass  the  attain- 
ment of  powers  not  originally  bestowed  upon  him. 
He  may  indeed,  and  should,  develope  to  their  utmost 
capacity  those  faculties  which  God  and  nature  have 
conferred ;  he  may  enlarge  and  expand  his  intellectu- 
al vision,  and  establish  on  a  more  firm  basis,  the 
supremacy  of  his  moral  and  religious  nature ;  but 
history,  observation  and  experience,  have  abundantly 
demonstrated,  that  each  individual  finds  a  limit  which 
he  may  not  overpass,  whatever  may  be  the  relation 
which  that  limit  holds  to  the  talents,  capacities  and 
acquirements  of  others.  Vast  and  comprehensive  as 
were  the  acknowledged  powers  of  Shakspeare  in  the 
analysis  and  interpretation  of  universal  humanity, 
those  great  discoveries  which  were  accomplished  by 
Newton,  Galileo,  Franklin  and  Kepler, — and  those 
constructive  and  inventive  talents  which  formed  the 
intellectual  strength  of  Arkwright,  Watt  and  Fulton, 
were  beyond  the  pale  even  of  his  splendid  genius. 
Nor  could  Raphael,  though  possessing  a  rare  and  fe- 
licitous combination  of  mental  faculties,  have  invent- 
ed the  telescope,  nor  Davy  have  ornamented  the 
chambers  of  the  Vatican  with  the  magnificent  crea- 
tions of  beauty.  Upon  each  and  every  individual 


THE   NATUEE   AND   MISSION   OF   GENIUS.  65 

the  Creator  has  bestowed  those  capacities  and  talents 
best  adapted,  in  the  view  of  Omnipotent  Wisdom,  to 
his  peculiar  condition  ;  and  while  to  some  a  greater, 
and  to  others  a  less  endowment  has  been  granted, 
each  is  responsible  for  the  due  cultivation  and  faith- 
ful application  of  the  powers  conferred. 

9.  This  arrangement  of  the  moral  world,  when 
rightly  viewed,  is  abundantly  indicative  of  the  wis- 
dom and  benevolence  of  its  Author,  and  will  be  found 
admirably  in  harmony  with  all  our  limited  faculties 
are  able  to  conceive  of  the  great  scheme  of  Creation  and 
Providence.  An  infinite  but  systematic  diversity  of 
condition  and  attributes,  pervades  the  whole  of  ani- 
mate and  inanimate  nature  ;  and  the  history  of  the 
world,  and  the  discoveries  of  science,  alike  develope 
a  constant  and  progressive  capacity  of  improvement 
in  the  intellectual  and  moral  nature  of  man.  In  the 
infancy  of  his  being,  his  mental  powers  were  neces- 
sarily restricted  within  a  very  narrow  compass  ;  but, 
as  century  after  century  rolls  on,  we  find  a  slow  but 
certain  progress  manifesting  itself  not  only  in  ari  in- 
creased, more  accurate  and  extensive  knowledge  of 
the  physical  world,  but  in  a  higher  appreciation  and 
wiser  cultivation  of  the  distinctive  faculties  of  hu- 
manity. For  this  purpose  we  are  indebted,  not  so 
much  to  the  simultaneous  advance  and  self-enlight- 
enment of  the  race,  as  to  the  predominating  influence 
of  the  few  who  from  time  to  time  have  stood  forward, 
as  the  guides,  the  teachers,  the  educators  of  their 
fellow  men  ;  to  those  who,  rising  above  the  prevail- 
ing standard  of  knowledge,  have  sought  out  and  an- 
nounced some  hitherto  undiscovered  fundamental 
principle,  upon  which  mankind,  sooner  or  later,  have 
taken  their  stand,  and  from  thence  proceeded  to 
higher  attainments,  and  entered  a  more  expanded 
field  of  progress.  With  rare  exceptions,  the  tri- 
umphs of  Genius  have  heralded  the  advancement  of 


56  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

the  race.  Its  manifestations  have  opened  up  the 
paths  of  improvement  in  all  that  is  valuable  in  knowl- 
edge, conducive  to  civilization,  elevating  in  morality, 
and  ennobling  in  humanity.  Its  votaries  have  been 
emphatically  the  pioneers  of  mind,  the  harbingers 
of  truth,  the  interpreters  of  Nature  in  her  manifold 
voices  of  wisdom  and  instruction,  and  the  instru- 
ments in  the  hands  of  the  Creator  for  the  gradual 
unfolding  of  those  great  principles  upon  which  the 
present  and  future  destiny  of  the  race  depend.  Aa 
such,  we  may  well  regard  them  as  the  benefactors 
of  humanity,  cherish  their  memory,  and  consecrate 
their  achievements.  But  this  fitting  sentiment  of 
veneration  may  be  tempered  by  the  reflection  that  the 
mission  of  Genius  is  special ;  that  its  superiority,  in 
one  respect,  is  often  counterbalanced  by  a  corre- 
sponding inferiority  in  others,  of  equal  and  perhaps  of 
superior  general  importance ;  that  it  is  not  unfre- 
quently  the  source  of  misery  and  unhappiness  to  its 
possessor ;  and  that  it  is  almost  universally  distin- 
guished by  the  absence  of  that  harmonious  symmetry 
and  graceful  proportion  of  character  which  constitutes 
the  secret  of  well-being  and  the  true  charm  of  life. 

10.  Each  faculty  of  the  human  mind  may  find  its 
appropriate  aliment  in  the  physical  and  moral  world ; 
and  it  is  unquestionably  within  the  compass  of  every 
intelligent  being,  however  unfavorably  situated  with 
reference  to  extrinsic  circumstances,  to  accomplish  a 
vast  amount  of  individual,  social,  and  general  good  ; 
to  render  even  the  calamities  of  life  subservient  to 
moral  and  intellectual  advancement ;  to  adorn  our 
common  nature,  within  the  sphere,  however  circum- 
scribed, which  Providence  has  assigned  as  the  theatre 
of  his  exertion  and  influence ;  to  add  somewhat,  at 
least,  to  the  stock  of  human  enjoyment,  if  he  cannot 
contribute  to  that  of  knowledge  and  wisdom  ;  and 
daily  to  obtain  a  clearer  insight  into  the  mysteries 


THE    NATURE    AND    MISSION    OF    GENIUS.  57. 

by  which  he  is  surrounded,  and  of  which  his  own 
existence  constitutes  so  important  a  part.  The  en- 
lightenment of  our  minds ;  the  cultivation  and  dis- 
cipline of  our  whole  nature ;  the  subjugation  of  our 
passions  and  propensities  to  the  control  of  reason  and 
of  conscience  ;  the  faithful  discharge  of  all  the  duties 
incumbent  upon  us  as  reflecting,  intelligent,  and  ac- 
countable beings; — these  will  constitute  and  secure  our 
highest  happiness ;  and  that  life  can  never  be  deemed 
barren  or  useless,  nor  that  condition  unfavorable,  in 
which  we  are  enabled,  by  an  unwavering  conformity 
to  the  impulses  of  our  better  nature,  aided  by  the 
pure  precepts  of  Christianity,  to  accomplish  the  great 
purposes  of  existence. 


58  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MENTAL  PHILOSOPHY. 

1.  THAT  is  the  only  true  philosophy  of  human  life 
which,  by  means  of  an  enlightened  knowledge  and  a 
just  appreciation  of  all  our  powers  and  faculties,  phys- 
ical, intellectual,  and  moral,  enables  us  to  conform, 
in  all  things,  to  the  laws  and  constitution  of  our  being. 
That  a  system  of  ethical  and  practical  morality  so 
consonant  to  our  highest  interest  has  not  hitherto 
generally  prevailed,  is  painfully  obvious  when  we 
reflect  upon  the  capacity  of  our  common  nature  for 
the  enjoyment  of  happiness, — a  capacity  conferred 
upon  it  by  infinite  benevolence,  wisdom,  and  power, — 
and  consider  the  vast  amount  of  evil  and  of  suffering, 
mental  and  physical,  which  surrounds  us  on  every 
hand.  It  requires  but  an  ordinary  exertion  of  reason 
to  be  assured  that  these  are  not  the  legitimate  or  the 
necessary  results  of  that  wonderful  organizatioirwhich 
constitutes  human  life.  On  the  contrary,  we  not 
only  see  the  most  abundant  evidences  of  an  opposite 
design  and  adaptation  pervading  our  entire  corporeal 
structure,  but  we  perceive  the  invariable  tendency  of 
external  nature  to  minister  to  our  pleasure  and  bene- 
fit ;  and  we  recognize  the  hand  of  a  bounteous  Bene- 
factor in  the  innumerable  blessings  which  are  spread 
out  for  our  acceptance  in  the  variegated  domain  of 
nature  and  of  providence.  It  is,  however,  lamentably 
true,  that  man  "  has  corrupted  his  way  upon  the 
earth ; "  that,  overstepping  the  boundaries  prescribed 
by  the  Creator,  and  within  which  the  high  and  holy 
purposes  of  existence  might  efficiently  and  harmo- 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY.  5D 

niously  have  been  accomplished,  he  "  has  sought 
out  many  inventions,"  and  mingled  the  cup  of  his 
destiny  with  discordant  and  bitter  ingredients.  A 
systematic  obedience  to  the  natural  and  moral  laws 
impressed  by  the  Creator  upon  all  the  workmanship 
of  his  hands,  must  necessarily  and  invariably  be  pro- 
ductive of  the  highest  degree  of  happiness — must 
secure  an  exemption  from  those  numerous  and  dis- 
tressing physical  ills  which  now  so  mournfully  weigh 
down  the  energies  of  humanity,  and  substitute  a 
cheerful  and  abiding  enjoyment  of  all  the  innumer- 
able blessings  of  life. 

2.  While  it  may  safely  be  presumed  that  all  men 
desire  thus  to  fulfil  the  great  purposes  of  existence, 
the  melancholy  experience  of  the  world  abundantly 
demonstrates  that  few  have  been  able  to  comprehend, 
and  still  fewer  to  apply  the  means  of  accomplishing, 
this  universal  object  of  human  exertion.  Originally 
constituted  with  powers  and  faculties  in  harmony  with 
each  other,  and  with  the  external  world,  the  legitimate 
exercise  of  these  various  powers  and  faculties  was 
alone  necessary  to  a  full  participation  in  the  utmost 
measure  of  happiness  of  which  humanity  admitted. 
The  lower  orders  of  animated  creation  were  endowed 
with  constitutions  adapted  to  their  rank  in  the  scale 
of  being,  and  with  faculties,  powers,  and  sources  of 
enjoyment,  fitted  to  their  several  natures.  The  exer- 
cise of  these  faculties,  however,  was,  in  their  case,  as 
we  have  before  had  occasion  to  observe,  restrained 
within  certain  definite  and  impassable  limits ;  with 
them  the  objects  and  purposes  of  existence  are  in- 
stinctively fulfilled  ;  and  for  them,  by  the  very  consti- 
tution of  their  nature,  transgression  is  rendered  im- 
possible. Upon  man  were  conferred  intellectual  and 
moral  powers,  comprising  within  themselves  every 
element  of  progressive  improvement,  of  refined  en- 
joyment, and  substantial  happiness  ;  together  with  the 


60  MENTAL   AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 

ability  to  exercise  these  powers  wisely  and  judiciously, 
and  to  reap  the  rich  fruits  of  an  enlightened  obe- 
dience to  the  laws  of  the  Creator,  or  to  pervert  and 
misapply  them,  with  all  the  certain  and  fearful  respon- 
sibilities attached  to  a  departure  from  the  established 
conditions  of  physical  and  moral  well-being. 

3.  The  absolute  dependence  of  happiness  upon 
obedience  can  be  adequately  and  fully  realized  only  by 
the  painful  experience  resulting  from  an  infringement 
of  the  Creator's  laws.  The  relation  thus  established, 
it  may  well  be  conceived,  would,  at  an  early  period 
of  man's  existence,  be  impressed  upon  his  mind  with 
a  force  and  a  distinctness  proportioned  to  its  impor- 
tance ;  so  that,  when  pain  and  misery,  remorse  or 
degradation,  were  experienced,  there  should  be  neither 
difficulty  nor  hesitation  in  tracing  these  desolating 
influences  to  their  legitimate  source  —  the  violation  of 
some  organic,  mental,  or  moral  law.  In  proportion, 
however,  as  physical  and  moral  evil  extended  its 
sway,  widened  and  deepened  its  channels,  and  be- 
came diffused  over  the  surface  of  society,  —  as  occa- 
sional violations  of  the  laws  of  being  gradually,  and 
by  degrees,  ripened  into  confirmed  habits,  and  the 
distinctions  between  a  strict  obedience  to  the  requisi- 
tions of  the  Creator  and  the  variable  standards  set  up 
by  individuals  or  communities  became  confused  or 
obliterated, — the  intellectual  and  moral  powers  would, 
it  is  obvious,  refer  with  constantly  increasing  difficulty 
to  the  sources  of  the  internal  and  external  conflict 
which  would  be  experienced.  The  eternal  and  in- 
variable relation  between  virtue  and  happiness,  and 
vice  and  misery,  in  all  their  forms,  and  under  every 
combination  of  circumstances,  would  cease  to  be  clear- 
ly apprehended,  and  man  would  grope  his  way,  amid 
the  manifold  intricacies  of  life,  in  darkness,  obscurity, 
and  ignorance.  By  insensible  degrees,  fatal  infringe- 
ments of  the  laws  of  being  would  be  regarded  as 


MENTAL   PHILOSOPHY.  61 

innocent,  or,  at  least,  as  pardonable  indulgences,  and 
their  consequences  ranked  among  the  inevitable  ten- 
dencies of  constitutional  organization,  or  the  unavoid- 
able evils  of  humanity.  Bad  passions,  long  unchecked, 
would  obtain  an  uncontrollable  ascendency  over  the 
moral  nature ;  and  the  virtuous  principles,  originally 
implanted,  become  incapable,  from  inactioni  of  exerting 
their  high  functions.  Thus  the  entire  harmony  and 
beauty  of  the  moral  system  would  speedily  and  ef- 
fectually become  deranged  and  defaced,  and  the 
bitter  penalty  induced  by  a  disregard  of  the  funda- 
mental laws  so  general  and  extensive  would  continu* 
ally  be  reproduced  and  transmitted  from  one  gen- 
eration to  another,  heightened  and  inflamed  by  its 
reaction  upon  individuals  and  communities,  and  by  q 
perverted  and  depraved  public  sentiment  pervading, 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  all  classes  and  conditions 
of  men. 

4.  The  operation  of  this  downward  tendency  in  the 
mental  and  moral  process  which  we  have  described, 
may  be  distinctly  traced,  as  we  follow  the  recorded 
history  of  the  rape  from  its  primeval  condition  of 
innocence  and  purity  to  the  present  period.  Where, 
in  her  weary  flight  over  the  vast  expanse  of  the  past, 
shall  the  emblem  and  messenger  of  peace  and  inno- 
cence find  a  verdant  spot  upon  which  to  fold  her 
wings  and  repose  in  undisturbed  security !  The 
career  of  the  princes,  potentates,  and  rulers  of  the 
earth,  has,  with  frightful  uniformity,  been  marked  by 
blood,  and  carnage,  and  desolation.  Nations  and 
kingdoms,  empires  and  people,  have  fulfilled  their 
troubled  course — tasted  for  a  brief  period  the  cup  of 
apparent  prosperity,  and  drained  that  of  retribution 
to  its  very  dregs.  With  the  history  of  the  great  mass 
of  individuals  composing  these  communities  we  are 
ignorant,  except  so  far  as  its  tenor  may  be  legitimate- 
ly inferred  from  the  character  and  results  of  their 


62  MENTAL    AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 

public  institutions,  their  heroes  and  rulers,  or  from 
the  deplorable  ignorance,  unrestrained  wickedness, 
and  lawless  pollution,  manifest  upon  every  page  of 
their  annals.  At  occasional  intervals, — intervals  com- 
posing the  established  epochs  of  history, — the  smoul- 
dering fires  of  man's  wickedness  and  depravity,  no 
longer  capable  of  finding  aliment  beneath  the  surface 
of  society  upon  which  to  exhaust  their  fury,  have 
burst  upon  the  astonished  nations  in  all  their  aggra- 
vated intensity,  spreading  far  and  wide  a  fearful 
retribution.  Moral  eruptions  like  these  impress  upon 
us  the  conviction  that,  while  a  deep  and  palpable 
darkness  had  long  brooded  over  the  moral  and  intel- 
lectual powers,  and  while  the  lights  of  reason  and 
revelation  had  ceased  to  shed  even  a  temporary  and 
fitful  glow  upon  the  rankling  and  festering  corruptions 
of  society  in  all  its  great  departments,  nothing  less 
than  a  violent  and  desolating  explosion  of  the  angry 
elements,  thus  preying  upon  each  other,  and  under- 
mining the  social  and  moral  fabric,  could  vindicate  the 
eternal  claims  of  justice  and  the  fundamental  laws  of 
being.  Good  and  great  men,  it  is  true,  occasionally 
appeared,  and  maintained  long  and  earnest  struggles 
to  recall  and  reestablish  the  long-forgotten  landmarks 
of  truth  and  nature.  But  their  struggles  were  un- 
availing. Theirs  were  bright  lights,  shining  with  a 
vivid  brilliancy  amid  the  surrounding  darkness ;  and 
the  mental  eye  still  reposes  with  pleasure  upon  their 
time-hallowed  lustre.  To  the  age  for  which  they 
beamed,  however,  their  rays  served  only  to  reflect 
the  unwelcome  images  of  a  mental  and  moral  ex- 
cellence beyond  its  reach,  and  surpassing  even  its 
comprehension.  Doubtless,  too,  the  quiet  waters  of 
oblivion  have  closed  over  the  lives  of  many  who  at- 
tained, in  their  generation,  to  the  knowledge  and  ap- 
preciation of  truth,  who  discovered  and  obeyed  the 
laws  of  their  being,  and  reaped  the  rich  rewards  of 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY.        .  63 

virtue  and  innocence.  But  the  knowledge  which  the 
few  thus  sought  out  and  appropriated  was  unavailing- 
ly  offered  to  the  acceptance  of  the  many.  The  world 
had  become  a  vast  theatre,  where  riches,  glory,  and 
power,  were  the  splendid  prizes  awarded  to  the  suc- 
cessful competitors  for  its  favors.  The  virtues,  the 
graces,  and  ornaments,  of  public  and  private  life  were 
disregarded,  uncultivated,  and  unsought.  The  laurel 
encircled  the  brow,  and  the  triumphal  pageant  cheered 
the  heart,  of  those  alone  who  were  most  conspicuous 
in  the  bloody  career  of  martial  glory.  Honor  and 
fame,  and  the  applause  of  the  multitude,  waited  upon 
wealth,  however  attained  ;  the  regards  of  the  present, 
and  the  admiration  and  wonder  of  succeeding  ages, 
were  promised  to  the  bold  and  successful  soldier  of 
fortune,  however  recklessly  he  had  trampled  upon 
every  nobler  feeling  of  the  heart,  and  however  heart- 
lessly he  had  crushed  every  opening  and  blooming 
flower  of  existence.  What  wonder,  then,  that  the 
peaceful  shrines  of  innocence,  and  purity,  and  peace, 
were  deserted  and  abandoned  ?  that  the  admonitions 
of  wisdom,  with  its  "  still,  small  voice,"  were  unheard 
or  unregarded  ?  that  the  temples  of  the  God  of  nature 
and  of  providence  were  converted  into  shameless 
marts  of  hypocrisy  and  traffic,  and  desecrated  by 
open  crime  and  systematic  pollution  ?  What  wonder 
that,  instead  of  the  "  peaceful  fruits  of  righteousness," 
carnage  and  desolation  reigned  predominant ;  law- 
less violence,  in  all  its  frightful  forms,  abounded  and 
multiplied  ;  injustice  and  oppression  stalked  abroad, 
unrestrained  by  conscience  or  the  arm  of  the  civil 
magistrate  ;  and  "  men's  hearts  "  every  where  "  failed 
them  for  fear  "  ? 

5.  But,  leaving  the  past,  let  us  briefly  advert  to  the 
present ;  and  if,  from  a  survey  of  all  its  aspects,  we 
may  rationally  look  forward  to  the  future  for  a  rapid 
and  steady  advance  in  that  practical  wisdom  which 


64  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

shall  make   mankind  better  and   happier,  the  philan- 
thropist  and   the   Christian   may    still    find   abundant 
cause  to  rejoice  in  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  dispensation. 
6.  The  aspects  in  which  the   present,  with   refer- 
ence to  the  past  and  the  future,  may  be  viewed,  are 
manifold   and   various.     Civilization  has   greatly  ex- 
tended its  boundaries,  and  elevated  and  expanded  its 
character.      The  civilization  of  the   present  day,  in 
kind  as  well  as  in  degree,  far  surpasses  that  which  we 
are  accustomed  still  to  term  the  civilization  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  and  of  the  middle  ages.      Not  only  have 
the  arts  and  sciences  attained  to  a  higher  standard  of 
excellence,  and  been  much  more  widely  and  exten- 
sively diffused,  but  a   nicer  perception  and   a   finer 
appreciation  of  humanity,  as  such,  have  been  superin- 
duced.    Mankind  are  more  disposed  to  regard  each 
other  as  equal  in  rights,  in  origin,  and  in  destination  ; 
as   brethren  of  one  common  family,  journeying   to- 
gether,  for    a  brief    period,    upon  the   same   great 
thoroughfare  of   life,    pursuing   essentially  the  same 
objects   by  an   infinite   variety  of    means,   liable  to 
the   same   frailties    and   errors,   and    entitled,    each 
from  the  other,  to  mutual  forbearance,  mutual  sym- 
pathy, and  kind  offices.     The  gentle  influences  of  the 
Christian  religion  have  refined  and  softened  the  hearts 
of   men,  diffusing   the    kindly   spirit   of   charity,  of 
toleration,  and  of  a  comprehensive  benevolence.    The 
thrones  of  tyrants-and  the  high  places  of  the  oppres- 
sor have  been  shaken  to  their  foundations  by  the  pow- 
erful upheaving  and  the  irrepressible  energies  of  the 
masses,  conscious  of  their  accumulated  wrongs  and 
their  innate  strength,  and  borne  onward,  by  the  mighty 
impulse  of  an  aroused  and  enlightened  public  senti- 
ment, to  the  practical  assertion  of  their  rights, — not 
by  violence,  not  through  the   tempestuous   and   cha- 
otic whirlwind  of  civil  commotion,  created  and  sus- 
tained by  brute,  sanguinary,  undiscerning  force, — but, 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY.  65 

by  a  moral  strength  and  determination,  accomplishing 
its  high  purpose  by  the  fiat  of  its  own  indomitable 
will.  The  forms  and  institutions  of  the  olden  time 
indeed  survive  ;  but  they  are  forms  and  institutions 
only.  Their  spirit  has  forever  departed.  Like  the 
crumbling  monuments  of  Memphis,  Thebes,  and  the 
Eternal  City,  they  will  be  left  to  the  corroding  action 
of  time,  and  become  the  objects  of  respectful  curiosity 
to  future  ages,  as  the  venerable  relics  of  an  imperfect 
civilization,  which,  having  accomplished  its  mission  in 
the  discipline  of  humanity,  was  succeeded  by  a  new 
order  of  things. 

7.  The  boundaries  of  the  empire  of  thought,  of 
reason,  and  of  reflection,  have,  also,  perceptibly  been 
enlarged.  Men,  and  classes  of  men,  heretofore  unac- 
customed to  an  analytical  investigation  of  even  the 
most  ordinary  phenomena  of  human  life,  are  begin- 
ning to  weigh  and  to  compare  opinions  on  the  most 
important  topics,  to  discuss  and  to  controvert  grave 
principles  heretofore  acquiesced  in  blindly  on  the 
authority  of  names,  or  at  the  suggestion  of  an  unrea- 
soning and  absurd  prejudice.  Symptoms  are  abroad 
which  render  the  inference  by  no  means  irrational, 
that  the  present  century  at  least,  if  not  the  existing 
generation,  will  witness  the  peaceable  demolition  of 
many  of  those  arbitrary  barriers  to  advancement  and 
improvement  which  owe  their  origin  to  a  state  of 
things  which  has  long  ceased  to  exist — to  institutions 
no  longer  recognized  by  the  civilization  of  modern 
times,  and  to  an  era  of  intellectual  and  moral  prog- 
ress far  behind  the  prevailing  standard.  To  what 
purpose  is  this  rushing  together  of  the  elements  of 
mental  and  moral  strength  from  the  various  regions 
to  which  modern  civilization  has  extended — all  tend- 
ing, through  an  infinite  combination  of  channels,  to  one 
great  end — all  seeking  to  unravel  the  tangled  web 
6 


66  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

of  human  destiny,  to  penetrate  the  labyrinths  of 
existence,  to  reveal  the  deeply-buried,  long-con- 
cealed treasures  there  deposited  ?  What  mean  the 
anxious  expectations  with  which  the  great  heart  of 
humanity,  in  all  its  mighty  pulsations,  is  tremblingly 
alive,  and  beats  in  concert,  presaging  the  advent  of 
some  organic  change  in  the  moral  world — a  cfhange 
to  be  wrought  by  the  weapons  of  enlightened  reason, 
guided  by  pure  and  undefined  religion,  and  sanctified 
by  truth  and  nature?  Do  they  not  indicate  an  ul- 
timate combination,  strength,  and  direction,  before 
which  error,  in  all  its  manifold  forms,  will  be  expelled 
from  its  last  stronghold,  and  the  true  dignity,  power, 
and  destiny  of  man  be  asserted  and  maintained  ? 

8.  Our  earthly  existence  has  been  termed  a  proba- 
tionary state ;  and  this  is  unquestionably  true  with 
reference  not  merely  to  our  individual  experience, 
hopes,  and  destiny,  but  to  that  of  the  race.  Endowed 
with  an  immortal  nature,  gifted  with  faculties  and 
powers  which  enable  us  to  attain  the  highest  happi- 
ness and  virtue,  and  favored  with  a  clear  revelation 
of  the  path  of  duty,  and  with  the  capacity  to  acquire 
a  full  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  and  to  appreciate 
the  responsibility  involved  in  their  choice, — we  have 
yet  been  left  free  so  to  combine  and  mould  the 
complicated  elements  of  our  being  as  to  form  our 
own  distinctive  character,  work  out  our  own  enjoy- 
ment, and  shape  our  own  destiny.  As,  in  the  prog- 
ress of  individual  existence,  it  requires  ^ong  years  of 
bitter  experience,  deep  and  varied  reflection,  and  a 
constant  study  of  human  nature  in  all  its  aspects,  to 
enable  us  to  approximate  to  a  correct  estimate  of  our 
own  powers,  duties,  and  interest,  so,  in  reference  to 
the  race,  centuries  may  pass  before  the  true  philosophy 
of  human  life  may  be  evolved  from  the  discordant 
elements  of  human  experience,  study,  and  reflection. 
We  may  be  permitted  to  indulge  the  hope,  that  the 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY.  67 

time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  great  mass  of  man- 
kind shall,  at  least,  have  learned  the  lesson  which  it 
will  have  cost  so  many  ages  of  violence  and  blood- 
shed to  acquire, — that  the  collisions  of  the  passions 
and  propensities  can  never  advance  the  interests  nor 
promote  the  welfare  of  the  race.  It  is  impossible  to 
estimate  how  many  centuries  of  civilization  have  been 
postponed  to  the  miserable  ambition  for  power,  for 
dominion,  and  a  false  greatness.  The  almost  incon- 
ceivable advance  which  less  than  half  a  century  of 
comparative  exemption  from  the  turmoil  of  physical 
contest  has  witnessed,  may,  perhaps,  afford  us  a 
feeble  conception  of  the  mental  and  moral  elevation 
to  which  we  might  have  attained,  had  this  great  lesson 
been  earlier  learnt.  But,  notwithstanding  the  preva- 
lence of  physical  violence  and  mental  gloom,  the 
lights  of  science  and  civilization  have  cheered  and 
illumined  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Within  the  com- 
pass of  less  than  four  centuries,  the  progress  of  knowl- 
edge, in  all  that  relates  to  the  material  universe,  has 
enabled  us  to  ascertain,  with  precision  and  certainty, 
the  laws  by  which  the  planetary  orbs  are  governed, 
the  various  elements  and  properties  of  matter  in  all 
its  forms,  the  complicated  phenomena  of  the  animal 
and  vegetable  creation,  the  structure  and  composi- 
tion of  the  earth's  surface,  the  causes  and  the  limi- 
tations of  elemental  strife,  and  the  multifarious  mani- 
festations of  animal  and  physical  organization.  The 
great  principle  has  been  established  that  all  the  work- 
manship of  the  Creator  displayed  to  human  view  is 
subjected  to  certain  and  invariable  laws ;  that  these 
laws  are  susceptible  of  discovery  and  comprehen- 
sion ;  and  that,  by  their  constant  and  pervading 
operation,  all  the  phenomena  of  the  visible  creation 
are  sustained,  and  the  vast  machinery  of  the  universe 
harmoniously  directed. 

9.  These  great  results  of  knowledge  and  science 


68  MENTAL   AND    MOHAL    CULTURE. 

having  thus  been  brought  within  the  comprehension 
of  all  who  desire  to  look  into  the  instructive  book  of 
external  nature,  the  interesting  inquiry  is  now  wide- 
ly beginning  to  be  agitated,  What  are  the  laws  by 
which  the  mind  itself  exists,  and  by  what  means,  and 
under  what  conditions,  and  subject  to  what  influences, 
does  it  manifest  its  myriad  combinations  of  powers, 
faculties,  sentiments,  propensities,  and  emotions  ?  If 
to  all  the  other  emanations  of  creative  wisdom  and 
goodpess  fixed  laws  have  been  prescribed,  and  these 
laws  and  their  operations  brought  within  the  compass 
of  the  human  intellect,  and  rendered  capable  of  being 
applied  to  the  various  purposes  of  science  and  art,  is 
not  the  inference  irresistible  that  to  our  immortal  and 
spiritual  nature  laws  equally  certain  and  invariable 
have  been  prescribed,  the  knowledge  of  which  is 
equally  attainable,  and  of  far  greater  importance  to 
our  present  and  future  welfare  ?  Metaphysicians, 
from  the  days  of  Aristotle  to  the  present  day,  have 
earnestly  sought  to  solve  this  great  problem ;  but,  with 
rare  exceptions,  they  have  failed,  until  within  com- 
paratively a  recent  period,  to  throw  around  this  deeply 
interesting  and  important  subject  the  full  and  clear 
light  of  demonstration,  or  to  carry  conviction  to  the 
minds  of  men.  They  have  too  often  cut  the  Gor- 
dian  knot,  without  endeavoring  patiently  and  perse- 
veringly  to  unfold  its  complicated  mazes.  They  have 
addressed  themselves  rather  to  the  intellects  of  the 
cultivated  few,  than  to  the  hearts  of  the  mass  of  the 
human  family,  equally  interested  with  the  wisest  of  the 
race  in  the  practical  solution  of  this  momentous  ques- 
tion. They  have  succeeded  in  erecting  a  great  va- 
riety of  admirable  superstructures,  each  tinged  with 
the  peculiar  mental  and  moral  colors  of  its  architect, 
each  faithfully  representing  the  consciousness  and 
the  attainments  of  the  individual  mind  from  which 
it  emanated,  but  possessing  few  of  those  enduring 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY.  69 

elements  of  universal  truth  and  nature  capable  of 
instant  recognition  and  immediate  approbation  by 
every  grade  of  intellect  and  every  variety  of  moral 
advancement.  One  system  has  rapidly  succeeded 
another ;  and  this,  in  its  turn,  has  given  place  to  a 
more  ingenious  and  plausible  hypothesis  ;  all  equally 
artificial  and  unsatisfactory.  The  minds  of  earnest 
inquirers  were  unsettled  and  unconvinced ;  the  human 
intellect  roamed  over  the  broad  fields  of  imagination 
without  a  guide,  building  up  for  itself  misty,  vague, 
and  unsubstantial  theories ;  and  at  a  period  when  a 
rational,  simple,  and  harmonious  system  was  univer- 
sally demanded, — a  system  based  upon  the  immovable 
foundations  of  nature,  and  adapted  to  all  the  capaci- 
ties, wants,  and  aspirations,  of  humanity, — the  meta- 
physics of  the  schools  furnished  nothing  beyond  the  most 
abstract  conceptions  of  isolated  intellect,  captivating, 
indeed,  and  beautiful  to  the  fancy,  but  cheerless  and 
uninviting  to  the  heart. 

10.  Undeniably,  this  failure  to  apprehend  the  true 
philosophy  of  the  human  mind  was  mainly  owing  to 
the  absence  of  a  practical  and  systematic  arrangement 
of  the  ample  materials  for  observation  and  analysis 
which  were  within  the  reach  and  at  the  command  of 
the  inquirer.  That  man  possessed  a  reasoning  and 
discriminating  mind,  with  which  the  lower  classes 
of  organized  beings  were  not  endowed,  was  a  self- 
evident  proposition.  That  this  mind  was  intimately 
connected  with  the  body,  and  that  it  could  mani- 
fest itself  only  through  that  physical  organization 
which  constituted  life,  was  equally  evident ;  and  yet, 
in  all  its  essential  and  distinctive  attributes,  it  ap- 
peared to  be  superior  to  and  independent  of  its  mate- 
rial adjunct,  in  effect  controlling  all  those  movements, 
and  directing  and  presiding  over  all  those  acts  of  the 
latter,  which  involved  any  degree  of  moral  responsi- 
bility, and  manifesting,  from  time  to  time,  the  most 


70  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

unequivocal  indications  of  its  distinct  and  separate 
nature.  The  existence  of  various  faculties,  and  vari- 
ous modes  of-  manifestation  of  the  mind,  under  the 
influence  of  different  sentiments,  feelings,  and  emotions, 
was  also  distinctly  recognized  and  admitted  ;  and  it 
was  apparent  that  different  individuals,  possessing  in 
common  the  general  attributes  which  compose  the 
human  mind,  differed,  nevertheless,  essentially  in 
character,  conduct,  and  acquirement.  Some  rose  to 
a  high  station  in  the  world's  regard,  and  secured  for 
themselves  a  rich  harvest  of  future  fame  :  others  de- 
voted their  lives  to  the  attainment  of  selfish  ends,  and 
the  gratification  of  the  passing  moment.  Some  were 
amiable,  benevolent,  and  just,  in  all  the  relations  and 
contingencies  of  life ;  others  a  constant  prey  to 
the  worst  and  most  degrading  influences — heartless, 
treacherous,  and  devoid  of  sensibility.  Some  as- 
siduously cultivated  their  intellectual  powers,  and 
rendered  every  acquisition  available  to  themselves 
and  to  others ;  while  others  were  content  to  pass 
through  life  as  they  best  might,  with  such  knowledge 
as  the  passing  occurrences  of  the  hour  might  furnish, 
and  such  principles  as  had  been  instilled  into  their 
minds  by  those  who  had  surrounded  them  from  in- 
fancy. There  was  no  other  standard  by  which  to  try 
these  diversified  results  of  the  same  general  mental 
conformation,  than  that  of  Education.  The  melan- 
choly experience  of  the  educated  world,  however,  failed 
to  establish  the  proposition,  that  a  virtuous  course  of 
conduct,  and  a  corresponding  elevation  of  mind,  were 
the  necessary  and  invariable  result  of  intellectual  and 
moral  discipline,  however  thorough  and  complete. 
The  wisest  and  most  profound  speculations  on  the 
philosophy  of  the  human  mind  were  therefore  found 
wholly  unsatisfactory  when  applied  to  individuals  in 
detail,  however  well  adapted  to  the  general  character 
of  mankind,  or  to  particular  combinations  of  that 


MENTAL   PHILOSOPHY.  71 

character.  In  the  kindred  inquiries  into  the  material 
world,  the  inductive  philosophy  had  attained  to  absolute 
demonstration  ;  the  circle  of  science,  and  of  the  arts, 
had  been  visibly  and  permanently  enlarged ;  and 
principles  were  established  on  incontrovertible  founda- 
tions, which  enabled  the  student  to  solve,  without  diffi- 
culty, the  most  intricate  and  interesting  problems  of 
external  nature.  But,  in  investigating  the  phenomena 
of  the  human  mind,  the  inductive  philosophy  had  been 
widely  departed  from ;  and,  instead  of  first  carefully 
ascertaining  all  the  facts  bearing  upon  the  inquiry,  and 
from  such  facts  attempting  to  deduce  the  principle  by 
which  they  were  governed,  the  ancient  and  exploded 
system  of  reasoning  from  general  principles  to  par- 
ticular facts  had  been  restored.  Thus  the  fundamental 
assumptions  upon  which  the  investigations  _  of  mental 
philosophers  were  based  being  erroneous,  or  at  best 
hypothetical,  their  details  were  inconclusive,  vague, 
and  mystical. 

11.  At  this  crisis  an  obscure  individual,  in  the  heart 
of  Germany,  began  to  attract  the  attention  of  inquiring 
minds,  by  the  originality,  novelty,  and  interest  of  his 
speculations  on  the  nature  and  operations  of  the  mind. 
Putting  forward  no  pretensions  to  the  character  of  an 
authoritative  expounder  of  ethical  science,  having 
formed  no  hypothesis,  cherished  no  theory,  matured 
no  system, — rone  of  those  simple  and  ordinary  occur- 
rences which,  when  subjected  to  the  eagle  eye  of 
Genius,  is  sometimes  fraught  with  the  most  momentous 
consequences,  directed  his  mind  to  a  train  of  reflections 
involving  results  of  immense  magnitude  and  universal 
interest.  Acknowledging  no  guide  but  Nature,  and 
faithfully  gathering  and  applying  the  responses  of  this 
infallible  oracle,  he  waited  long  and  patiently  at  the 
shrine  of  his  great  teacher,  before  venturing  to  inter- 
pret to  the  wondering  and  incredulous  multitude  the 
revelations  of  the  Deity,  hidden  as  yet  from  their  view. 


72  MENTAL   AND    BIORAL    CULTURE. 

Confining  his  researches  and  inductions  strictly 
within  the  pale  of  accurate  observation  and  experi- 
ence, and  aided  by  the  superior  intellectual  acumen 
and  scientific  skill  of  a  kindred  mind,  the  details  of  a 
system  were  gradually  and  cautiously  evolved,  which 
challenged  the  most  scrutinizing  investigation,  and 
addressed  itself  directly  and  powerfully  to  the  most 
enlightened  sanctions  of  the  intellect,  and  the  best  and 
holiest  sympathies  of  the  heart.  This  system  assumes 
for  its  basis  the  undeniable  connection  and  mutual 
dependence  of  the  mind  and  body,  during  our  earthly 
existence,  and  the  fact  that  the  former,  whatever  may 
be  its  essence,  uniformly  manifests  itself,  in  this  state 
of  being,  through  the  agency  of  the  latter.  By  a. 
series  of  analytical  experiments,  founded  upon  a  close 
and  patient  investigation  of  facts,  it  was  ascertained 
and  demonstrated  beyond^  the  possibility  of  cavil,  that 
the  brain,  the  acknowledged  seat  of  the  mind,  consists 
of  a  series  of  organs,  each  of  which  is  charged  with 
the  manifestation  of  a  distinct  faculty  of  the  mind  ; 
that  the  relative  location  of  these  organs,  and  the 
mental  functions  which  they  perform,  are  susceptible 
of  discovery  ;  and  that  upon  the  predominance  of  the 
particular  faculties,  sentiments,  or  propensities,  which 
are  manifested  through  these  organs,  or  the  various 
combinations  of  them  which  distinguish  the  various 
conformations  of  mind,  is  founded  the  infinite  diversity 
of  character,  conduct,  and  attainment,  which  pervades 
humanity.  These  faculties,  sentiments,  and  propen- 
sities were  classified,  as  well  with  reference  to  their 
functions  in  the  development  and  manifestation  of  the 
animal,  the  intellectual,  and  the  moral  nature  of  man, 
as  to  their  respective  agency  in  the  production  of  the 
various  passions,  emotions,  and  conceptions,  which 
prevail  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  the  composition 
of  every  intelligent  being. 

12.  Innumerable  observations,  extending  through  a 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY.  73 

period  of  more  than  half  a  century,  and  embracing 
every  variety  of  character  and  of  detail,  have  placed 
this  great  system  of  mental  and  moral  philosophy  upon 
the  soundest  and  most  irrefragable  basis.  The  circle 
of  its  influence  is  steadily  arid  rapidly  expanding 
through  every  class  of  society,  reaching  every  grade 
of  mind,  fertilizing  the  vast  soil  of  humanity  in  all  its 
departments,  and  preparing  a  rich  and  abundant  har- 
vest of  practical  usefulness.  Its  interesting  and  sub- 
lime revelations  bear  no  affinity  to  those  mysterious  and 
incomprehensible  abstractions  which  have  so  long 
usurped  the  high  places  of  metaphysical  lore.  They 
come  to  us  speaking  the  language  of  truth  and  nature, 
in  a  voice  by  which  all  who  have  "  ears  to  hear," 
and  hearts  to  feel,  may  profit ;  which  penetrates  to  the 
innermost  sanctuary  of  individual  consciousness,  and 
wakens  the  slumbering  echoes  of  humanity.  Those 
who  occupied  the  chief  seats  in  the  numerous  temples 
of  the  ancient  philosophy,  while  they  have  instinctively 
denounced  and  proscribed  these  new  and  strange 
doctrines,  have  seen,  with  increasing  alarm,  their  steady 
advance  and  rapidly  extending  influence.  Their 
"  ineffectual  fires  "  have  paled  and  grown  dim  before 
the  brightening  light  and  kindling  warmth  of  the  rising 
orb.  The  human  mind  is  no  longer  symbolized  to 
the  imagination  as  a  heterogeneous  and  inexplicable 
compound  of  ethereal  influences  and  "  baser  matter," 
impelling  to  opposite  and  discordant  results.  The 
"  middle  wall  of  partition,"  which  for  ages  had  sepa- 
rated the  constituent  elements  of  our  common  human- 
ity, has  been  broken  down  ;  and  man  stands  forth  in 
the  image  of  his  Creator,  "  a  living  soul,"  occupying 
and  consecrating  by  its  deathless  energies  an  organized 
corporeal  structure,  a  "  temple  not  made  with  hands," 
with  powers  and  faculties,  propensities  and  sentiments, 
each  performing  its  own  peculiar  and  appropriate 
7 


74  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

functions  within  the  prescribed  range  of  its  operations, 
fulfilling  harmoniously  its  separate  mission,  and  all 
effectually  and  admirably  adapted  to  the  diffusion  of 
happiness,  the  promotion  of  knowledge,  ihe  attainment 
of  wisdom,  and  the  progressive  advancement  and  im- 
provement of  the  race. 

13.  From  the  general  adoption  and  prevalence  of 
this  philosophy,  authenticated  and  enforced  as  we  find 
it  to  be  by  the  highest  evidence  and  most  authoritative 
sanction  of  reason,  experience,  and  revelation,  results 
of  surpassing  importance  to  the  welfare  of  the  race 
may  rationally  be  anticipated.  That  knowledge  which 
it  most  concerns  all  to  possess, — the  knowledge  of  the 
human  heart,  of  the  constitution  of  our  being,  the  laws 
by  which  it  acts,  the  faculties  and  powers  of  our 
common  nature,  their  functions,  uses,  and  operations, 
the  limits  within  which  they  minister  to  our  happiness 
and  promote  our  improvement  in  wisdom,  in  virtue, 
and  purity,  and  the  boundaries  beyond  which,  stretch 
out,  in  long  perspective,  the  domains  of  guilt,  wretch- 
edness, and  misery, — this  knowledge,  with  all  its  illimi- 
table consequences,  and  vast  responsibilities  for  good 
or  for  evil,  is  brought  within  the  range  of  all  classes 
and  conditions  of  men.  The  high  and  the  low,  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  the  monarch  in  his  seat  of  power, 
and  the  laborer  in  his  humble  cottage,  he  who,  en- 
throned in  the  majesty  and  might  of  moral  and  in- 
tellectual strength,  dispenses  the  treasures  of  a  wis- 
dom gathered  from  the  remotest  and  least  accessi- 
ble regions  of  thought  and  experience,  and  he  to  whom 
the  higher  influences  of  the  world  of  mind  must 
remain  a  sealed  book,  and  whose  solitary  and  unprof- 
itable talent  is  buried  in  oblivion, — each  and  all  are 
invited  to  read  the  open  volume  which  faithfully 
i  effects  their  several  natures,  and  from  its  illuminated 
j  ages  to  derive  that  instruction  most  needed  to  redeem 
the  errors  of  the  past,  and  shed  a  benignant  influence 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY*  75 

upon  the  yet  unsullied  future.  The  important  lessons 
thus  widely  proclaimed,  like  the  good  seed  sown  by 
the  Great  Teacher  in  the  hearts  of  men,  will  meet 
with  many,  and  often  with  insuperable,  obstacles  to  its 
reception ;  and  it  may  be  long  before  it  yields  the 
rich  and  ample  harvest,  which  it  is  destined,  sooner  or 
later,  to  exhibit.  Often  will  they  "  fall  by  the  way- 
side," unregarded  and  unnoticed  ;  often  encounter  the 
"  stony  ground  "  of  superficial  minds,  delighted  at 
first,  and  pleased  with  the  novelty,  beauty,  and  sub- 
limity of  a  captivating  theory,  but  unfitted  and  undisci- 
plined to  stem  the  torrent  of  ridicule  or  reproach  ; 
and  still  more  often  will  they  become  "  choked 
among  thorns,"  and  overborne  by  the  "  cares  of  the 
world,  the  deceitful  ness  of  riches,"  the  lusts  of  power, 
and  the  promptings  of  the  passions.  But  an  unwaver- 
ing faith  in  the  advancing  progress  of  the  higher  and 
nobler  elements  of  man's  immortal  nature,  an  un- 
doubting  confidence  in  his  capacity  to  achieve  a  final 
and  complete  triumph  over  the  depressing  influences 
which  have  hitherto  weighed  down  the  elastic  energies 
of  his  soul,  and  a  full  reliance  upon  the  ever-present 
blessing  of  the  Creator,  induce  the  gratifying  conviction 
that  an  abundant  portion  of  the  elevating  and  purifying 
principles  which  characterize  the  new  philosophy,  has 
been  "  sown  on  good  ground,"  and  will  "  bring  forth 
fruit,  some  thirty,  some  sixty,  and  some  a  hundred 
fold." 

14.  No  one  who  has  been  accustomed  to  trace  the 
progress  of  great  truths  in  any  of  the  various  depart- 
ments of  science,  of  morals,  or  of  religion,  as  they 
have  been  successively  unfolded  to  the  human  intel- 
lect, will  indulge  the  apprehension  that  the  discoveries 
of  Gall  and  Spurzheim  are  permanently  to  be  affected 
by  present  indifference  to  their  value,  or  the  interpo- 
sition of  discouraging  obstacles  to  their  future  promul- 
gation. Elaborated  and  systematized  as  they  have 


76  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

been  by  the  most  enlightened  and  able  philanthropists 
of  Europe  and  America,  and  reduced  to  the  compass 
of  a  clear,  connected,  and  harmonious  science,  of 
surpassing  interest  and  beauty,  they  will  in  due  time 
assume  the  elevated  rank  to  which  they  justly  apper- 
tain. It  is  needless  to  advert  to  the  multitude  of 
instances  where  popular  delusion,  error,  and  igno- 
rance, have  denounced  and  proscribed  those  doctrines 
and  their  teachers,  which  after  ages  have  consecrated 
and  hallowed,  and  the  universal  sense  of  civilized 
humanity  inscribed  upon  the  imperishable  tablets  of 
the  intellect  and  the  heart.  Neither  the  comprehen- 
sive and  bloody  edict  of  Herod,  nor  the  infuriated 
passions  of  the  Jewish  multitude,  nor  yet  the  system- 
atic and  unrelenting  cruelty  of  Nero,  Tiberius,  and 
Caligula,  accomplished  the  extermination,  or  even  the 
temporary  suppression,  of  Christianity.  Neither  the 
fulminations  of  a  powerful  hierarchy,  nor  the  maledic- 
tions of  the  multitude,  deterred  the  master  spirits  of 
the  Reformation  from  the  prosecution  of  their  great 
mission.  The  fagot  and  the  stake,  the  cord  and  the 
dungeon,  of  ecclesiastical  intolerance  served  only  to 
nourish  and  strengthen  the  indestructible  germ  of  moral 
and  religious  truth.  Nor  did  the  "  old  man  elo- 
quent," who  proclaimed  to  a  benighted  age  the  theory 
of  the  earth's  revolution,  and  the  laws  which  governed 
the  motions  of  the  planetary  orbs  in  their  courses, 
quail  before  the  bitter  storms  of  obloquy  and  persecu- 
tion which  burst  around  his  venerable  head.  In  his 
gloomy  dungeon  this  outcast  from  the  pale  of  humani- 
ty, stricken  down  by  the  ban  of  a  power  which  held 
uncontrolled  supremacy  over  the  minds  of  men,  calmly 
V>oked  forward  to  the  assured  recognition  of  his  great 
discovery,  and  the  ultimate  universal  acknowledgment 
of  his  benefactions  to  the  race.  The  pages  of  ancient 
and  modern  history  bear  uniform  testimony  to  the 
zeal  and  pertinacity  with  which  mankind  at  all  times, 


MENTAL  PHILOSOPHY.  77 

and  under  all  circumstances  of  intellectual  or  moral 
advancement,  have  denounced,  proscribed,  and  pun- 
ished their  best  benefactors.  Notwithstanding  the 
universal  prevalence  of  this  persecuting  and  intolerant 
spirit,  truth  has  silently  made  its  irresistible  way ;  its 
progress,  though  slow,  has  been  onward  ;  and  we  are 
warranted  in  the  belief,  founded  as  well  upon  the  ex- 
perience of  the  past  as  upon  the  eternal  laws  of 
rectitude,  that,  in  proportion  as  the  obstacles  to  its 
advancement,  arising  from  ignorance,  prejudice,  and 
passion,  are  temporarily  multiplied  and  rendered  for- 
midable, its  final  triumph  will  be  certain  and  complete. 

"Truth,  crushed  to  earth,  shall  rise  again; 

The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers  ; 
While  Error,  wounded,  writhes  in  pain, 
And  dies  amid  her  worshippers.'' 

In  this  enlightened  age  of  the  world,  a  philosophy 
professing  to  embrace  within  its  comprehensive  grasp 
the  highest  interests  of  humanity,  recognizing  and 
confirming  the  great  truths  of  revelation,  and  an- 
nouncing the  fundamental  conditions  upon  which  hap- 
piness, virtue,  and  wisdom,  may  be  attained  and 
secured  by  each  individual  of  the  species,  has  nothing 
to  apprehend  from  external  violence  or  open  persecu- 
tion. It  may  be  passed  by  with  contumely  or  neg- 
lect ;  it  may  be  rejected  as  unworthy  of  consideration 
by  those  who  can  perceive  no  beauty,  harmony,  or 
consistency  with  truth  or  reason,  in  its  details  ;  it  may 
be  denounced  and  proscribed  by  the  ignorant,  the 
superficial,  and  the  self-sufficient;  but  the  physical 
and  the  moral  power  to  exclude  its  lessons  of  practi- 
cal wisdom  from  the  study  and  perusal  of  the  multi- 
tude of  reasoning  and  reflecting  minds  scattered  over 
the  broad  domains  of  civilization,  no  longer  exists. 
The  enlightened  founders  of  this  philosophy  have 
been  gathered  to  their  fathers  ;  but  their  mantles  have 
fallen  on  those  worthy  of  fulfilling  the  hiah  mission 


78  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

with  which  they  are  charged ;  men  of  devoted  earn- 
estness and  unsullied  purity  of  character ;  desirous, 
above  all  things,  of  benefiting  their  race  both  in  pres- 
ent and  future  ages ;  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
principles  of  mental  and  moral  philosophy ;  deeply 
imbued  with  the  genuine  spirit  of  pure  Christianity  ; 
and  abundantly  competent  to  the  exalted  task  of  in- 
structing and  improving  their  fellow-men. 

15.  Whatever  differences  of  opinion  may  exist  in 
relation  to  the  minor  details  of  the  system  to  which 
we  have  adverted,  it  is  undeniable  that  the  elementary 
and  essential  principles  of  a  philosophy  so  accordant 
with  nature  and  truth,  so  intimately  connected  with 
the  interests  and  welfare  of  every  individual  of  the 
species,  cannot  fail  to  exert  a  powerful  influence, 
present  and  prospective,  on  human  character  and 
happiness,  on  society,  on  civil  and  political  institu- 
tions of  every  grade,  on  all  the  relations  of  domestic 
life,  and,  in  short,  on  all  the  diversified  machinery  of 
civilization.  A  spirit  of  enlightened  inquiry  has  al- 
ready gone  abroad  ;  antiquated  prejudices  have  been 
undermined ;  a  new  and  interesting  path  has  been 
opened  up  to  the  investigation  of  man's  physical,  in- 
tellectual, and  moral  nature  ;  obstacles  to  the  ascer- 
tainment of  truth,  hitherto  deemed  insuperable,  have 
been  removed ;  and  principles  elucidated,  which,  in 
their  development,  promise  to  reduce  the  system  of 
mental  and  moral  philosophy  to  the  beautiful  and 
orderly  simplicity  of  the  physical  sciences.  The 
principles  upon  which  the  progressive  improvement 
of  man's  complex  nature  depend  have  been  thorough- 
ly analyzed,  the  true  philosophy  of  education  de- 
duced from  sound  and  incontrovertible  premises,  and 
the  capacity  of  each  intelligent  individual  of  the  race 
to  secure  for  himself  all  the  blessings  belonging  to 
his  nature,  and  all  the  happiness  of  which  that  na- 
ture is  susceptible,  clearly  demonstrated.  The  heavy 


MENTAL   PHILOSOPHY.  79 

clouds  of  ignorance,  which  to  so  many  thousands  have 
hitherto  concealed  the  bright  sun  of  happiness,  whose 
kindly  rays  might  otherwise  have  cheered  their  weary 
path,  may  now  be  dissipated.  The  design  and  work- 
manship of  the  Creator  in  the  formation  and  wonder- 
ful adaptation  of  that  master  mechanism,  the  human 
body,  and  the  fixed  and  invariable  laws  of  its  con- 
stitution, may  now  be  recognized  and  comprehended 
by  multitudes  whose  existence  has  hitherto  been  a 
mystery  and  an  enigma  to  themselves.  The  neces- 
sary dependence  of  happiness,  peace  of  mind,  and 
that  deep,  inward  satisfaction  which  none  but  the  wise 
and  good  experience,  upon  faithful  obedience  to  the 
institutions  of  the  Creator,  may  be  fully  appreciated  ; 
and  questionings  and  doubts  heretofore  springing  up 
in  honest  hearts  concerning  the  justice  and  equity  of 
the  moral  administration  of  that  Creator  with  refer- 
ence to  the  events  of  the  present  world — question- 
ings and  doubts  founded  upon  an  incomplete  and 
imperfect  view  of  the  laws  of  being — will  be  satis- 
factorily solved.  By  a  slow  and  laborious,  yet  perse- 
vering process;  by  gradually  displacing  the  numerous 
and  varied  theories  of  the  past,  which  have  served 
only  to  encumber  and  darken  the  portals  of  knowl- 
edge and  wisdom ;  and  by  careful  and  thorough 
observation,  experiment,  and  reflection,  a  path  has,  at 
length,  we  may  hope,  been  opened  to  the  broad  and 
solid  foundations  of  truth  and  nature.  Like  those 
indefatigable  travellers  who  perseveringly  and  painfully 
persisted  in  the  immense  and  apparently  hopeless 
labor  of  removing  the  accumulated  rubbish  which 
choked  the  entrance  to  the  Pyramids,  until  their  exer- 
tions were  at  length  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  the 
magnificent  chambers  and  wonderful  architecture  of 
the  remotest  antiquity,  the  founders  of  this  philosophy, 
after  long  years  of  indefatigable  research,  succeeded 
in  attaining  a  clear  perception  of  the  object  of  their 


80  MENT.-  S,   AND   MOHAL   CULTURE. 

labors,  and  in  indicating  to  those  who  shall  come  after 
them  the  means  by  which  still  greater  and  more 
important  advances  may  be  made.  But,  like  those 
travellers,  they  have  penetrated  only  to  the  vestibule 
of  the  immense  temple  before  them  ;  numerous  un- 
discovered apartments  doubtless  remain  to  be  ex- 
plored, hidden  treasures  to  be  developed  and  appro- 
priated, and  the  specific  objects  and  uses  of  the 
whole  and  every  portion  of  the  vast  structure  to  be 
intelligently  displayed. 

16.  The  goodness  of  Providence  in  the  constitution 
of  the  moral  and  physical  world,  and  in  the  benevo- 
lent adaptation  of  means  to  ends,  is  in  nothing  more 
conspicuously  displayed  than  in  the  fact  clearly  un- 
folded by  an  intelligent  acquaintance  with  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  human  nature,  that  not  only  the 
desire,  but  the  abundant  means  of  happiness,  have 
been  conferred  upon  each  rational  individual  of  the 
species — a  happiness  essentially  independent  of  ex- 
ternal circumstances,  springing  from  an  internal  im- 
pulse, and  awakening  the  slumbering  tones  of  those 
unearthly  harmonies  which  have  power  to  banish  for- 
ever the  usurpers  of  the  moral  kingdom  of  the  soul. 
The  teachings  of  that  philosophy  which  exorcises  the 
phantoms  of  passion,  and  the  evil  spirits  of  ignorance, 
delusion,  and  temptation  ;  which  reechoes  within  us 
the  notes  of  innocence,  of  pristine  purity  and  unsul- 
lied youth ;  which  reawakens  in  our  breasts  the  high 
and  holy  aspirations  of  the  spring-tide  of  existence, 
and  renovates  our  wearied  and  care-worn  spirits  by 
the  balmy  and  blessed  influences  of  the  higher  and 
holier  nature  implanted  within  us, — comes  to  all 
"  with  healing  on  its  wings."  It  smooths  the  asperi- 
ties of  life's  rugged  journey  ;  causes  the  innumer- 
able flowers,  scattered  with  a  bountiful  hand  over  the 
daily  paths  of  existence,  to  bloom  with  a  grateful 
fragrance  and  sweetness  ;  and  diffuses  over  our  whole 


MENTAT,    PHILOSOPHY.  81 

being  that  joy,  and  peace,  and  hope,  which  take   fast 
hold  of  immortality. 

"  O  !  joy,  that  in  our  embers 

Is  something  that  doth  live, 
That  nature  yet  remembers 

What  was  so  fugitive  ! " 


-those  first  affections, 


Those  shadowy  recollections, 
Which,  be  they  what  they  may. 
Are  yet  the  fountain-light  of  all  our  day, 

Are  yet  the  master-light  of  all  our  seeing, 
Uphold  us,  cherish  us,  and  have  power  to  make 

Our  noisy  years  seem  moments  in  the  being 
Of  the  eternal  silence  ;  truths  that  wake 

To  perish  never ; 
Which  neither  listlessness,  nor  mad  endeavor, 

Nor  man,  nor  boy, 
Nor  all  that  is  at  enmity  with  joy, 
Can  utterly  abolish  or  destroy." 

17.  Whence  is  it  that,  in  the  advanced  stages  of 
existence,  the  "  sere  and  yellow  leaf"  of  our  being, 
the  mind  so  loves  to  linger  upon  the  scenes  and 
associations  of  life's  opening  dawn  ?  that  the  heart 
forgets  its  withering  sorrows  and  its  bitter  experience, 
and  often  and  fondly  recurs  to  the  elastic  energies 
which  prompted  the  glowing  anticipations  and  bright 
hopes  of  childhood  and  innocence  ?  The  memories 
thus  invoked  come  to  us  loaded  with  freshness  and 
fragrance  ;  with  a  vivid  impression  of  happiness  and 
enjoyment  long  unknown ;  with  the  distant  echoes  of  a 
harmony,  which  has  ceased  to  vibrate  upon  our  blunted 
senses ;  with  a  soul-subduing  gentleness,  which  has 
power  to  unseal  the  deep  sources  of  feelings,  whose 
destined  current  the  cares  and  the  passions,  the 
anxieties  and  the  sufferings,  of  worldly  experience  have 
choked  and  suppressed.  None  are  so  far  beyond  the 
pale  of  humanity,  as  to  be  inaccessible  at  times  to 
these  soothing  and  benignant  influences  of  our  myste- 
rious nature.  The  conqueror,  in  his  mad  career  of 


82  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

crime,  borne  onward  by  the  impetuous  waves  of  pas- 
sion, and  revelling  in  feverish  dreams  of  ambition, 
power,  and  fame ;  the  miser,  surrounded  by  his 
wealth  ;  the  sensualist,  by  his  luxurious  appliances ; 
and  even  the  doomed  criminal,  darkly  brooding  over 
his  career  of  guilt,  and  its  fearful  retribution  ; — to  each 
and  all  the  visions  of  early  life,  of  unsullied  innocence 
and  undimmed  purity  of  soul,  throng  upon  the  mind, 
insensible  though  it  may  be  to  every  other  impression 
of  goodness,  of  beauty,  or  of  truth.  It  is  the  feeling 
which  we  may  imagine  our  first  parents  to  have  expe- 
rienced in  all  its  intensity,  when,  after  long  years  of 
wandering  over  the  arid  waste  of  a  world  no  longer 
clothed,  to  their  eyes,  in  its  primeval  freshness  and  ver- 
dure, they  recalled  the  bright  image  of  the  Paradise  they 
had  forfeited, — its  ever-present  delights,  its  hallowed 
scenes  of  quiet  bliss,  its  unceasing  strains  of  celestial 
harmony,  and  all  the  pure  and  holy  influences  flowing 
from  the  immediate  and  pervading  presence  of  the 
great  Fountain  of  life,  and  light,  and  happiness.  To 
us  the  moral  is  one  full  of  interest  and  instruction. 
The  gardens  of  Paradise  are  open  to  all ;  the  "  tree  of 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil "  is  still  standing  in  the 
midst ;  and  the  solemn  injunction  of  the  Creator  of  our 
spirits,  warning  us  to  beware  lest  we  put  forth  our 
hands  and  take  and  eat  of  its  forbidden  fruit,  is  ever 
sounding  in  our  ears.  Shall  this  voice  continue  to  be 
unheeded,  and  the  arts  of  the  tempter  still  prevail, 
until  the  flaming  sword  of  the  angel  of  retributive  jus- 
tice debars  us  forever  from  the  Eden  of  our  existence  ? 
Shall  we  not  rather  listen  to  the  voice  of  God,  speaking 
through  nature  and  revelation  ;  learn  to  know  our- 
selves, and  our  whole  duty  ;  and  cheerfully  and  intelli- 
gently fulfil  the  purposes  and  the  end  of  our  being, 
while  we  daily  and  hourly  reap  the  rich  rewards  of 
wisdom  and  experience? 


MENTAL    PHILOSOPHY.  83 

18.  To  the  YOUNG, — "  the  innocent  in  heart  and 
soul,"  for  whom  life  still  blooms  in  all  the  freshness 
and  beauty  of  hope  and  truth,  who  bask  in  the  bright 
sunshine  of  moral  purity  and  peace,  little  dreaming 
of  the  countless  perils  which  surround  them,  breathing 
the  ethereal  odors  of  a  Paradise  they  have  not  as  yet 
forfeited, — to  such  how  earnest,  how  unwearied,  should 
be  our  constant  and  most  impressive  admonition — 
Avoid  the  first  approaches  of  the  tempter  ;  heed  not  for 
a  wavering  moment  his  subtle  and  fatal  voice ;  wrap 
yourselves  in  the  sacred  mantle  of  your  innocence, 
and  repose  in  trustful  assurance  upon  the  promises  of 
the  Author  of  your  being,  the  Dispenser  of  the  rich 
blessings  by  which  you  are  surrounded — blessings  you 
cannot  now  appreciate,  but  which  once  lost  can  never 
be  recalled.  The  conditions  of  present  enjoyment 
and  continued  happiness  are  clearly  unfolded  to  your 
mental  and  moral  perception  by  HIM  who  called  you 
into  existence,  and  curiously  moulded  the  constitution 
of  your  being.  While  those  conditions  are  faithfully 
observed,  that  existence  will  prove  a  constant  source 
of  pleasure,  an  unfailing  well-spring  of  improvement, 
a  perpetual  concord  of  sweet  and  harmonious  influ- 
ences. Around  and  about  you,  on  every  hand,  are 
withered  hopes,  blasted  expectations,  irremediable 
sorrow,  fruitless  remorse,  pain,  anguish,  disease,  pre 
mature  decay  and  death.  Hope  not  to  disobey  the 
voice  of  God  within  your  souls,  and  to  escape  these 
dire  and  bitter  consequences  of  transgression.  The 
records  of-  human  experience,  from  the  creation  of 
the  world  to  the  present  hour,  furnish  not  a  solitary 
instance  of  such  an  exemption  from  the  penalty  de- 
nounced by  the  voice  of  the  Almighty.  Venture  not, 
then,  upon  the  fearful  and  most  presumptuous  experi- 
ment. Walk  while  you  may  in  the  placid  shades  of 
innocence  and  virtue  ;  commune  with  the  Being  whose 


84  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

presence  will  surround  you  at  all  times,  and  whose 
blessing,  "  even  length  of  days  and  life  forevermore," 
will  consecrate  and  reward  your  obedience  to  his 
perfect  laws. 

"  So  live,  that  when  the  summons  comes  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan  that  moves 
To  the  pale  realms  of  shade,  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death, 
Thou  go  not,  like  the  quarry-slave  at  night, 
Chained,  to  his  dungeon;  but,  sustained  and  soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave 
Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasing  dreams." 


FORMATION   AND   DEVELOPEMENT    OF   CHARACTER.   85 


CHAPTER  V. 

FORMATION  AND  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  CHARACTER. 

1.  THE  formation  of  character,  from  its  incipient 
manifestation,  through  all  its  various  stages  of  progres- 
sive advancement,  to  the  period  when  death  affixes  its 
final  seal  to  the  record  of  human  life,  is  subject  to  so 
many  and  such  diversified  influences,  that  any  attempt 
minutely  to  trace  its  progress,  or  accurately  to  define 
the  principles  by  which  it  may  be  regulated,  must 
prove  futile.  Where  the  elements  of  mental  and 
moral  developement  are  inexhaustible,  their  arrange- 
ment in  those  infinitely  varied  combinations  which 
make  the  character  of  each  individual  of  the  race  so 
essentially  to  differ  from  that  of  every  other,  can  be 
regarded  neither  with  wonder  nor  surprise.  It  is  a 
part  of  that  stupendous  and  beautiful  system  of  per- 
fect adaptation  and  boundless  wisdom  which  prevails 
throughout  the  universe,  as  well  of  matter  as  of  mind  ; 
and  while  it  effectually  precludes  analysis,  impresses 
upon  us  the  important  conviction — a  conviction  which, 
amid  the  depressing  scenes  of  time  and  sense,  we  are 
too  often  in  danger  of  losing — that  to  each  one  of  us 
is  committed  a  peculiar  destiny,  which  we  are  to  work 
out  for  ourselves  alone.  While  we  cannot  hope  so  to 
combine  or  to  arrange  the  materials  of  mental  growth 
and  progress,  which  lie  scattered  in  such  boundless 
profusion  around  us,  as  to  discover  all  their  peculiar 
adaptations  in  the  wonderful  and  mysterious  fabric  of 
existence,  we  may,  perhaps,  attain  to  some  concep- 
tion, however  inadequate,  of  the  solemn  responsibility 
involved  in  the  daily  and  hourly  discharge  of  tho 


86  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

duties  appertaining  to  human  life  ;  of  the  worth  and 
intrinsic  value  of  the  soul,  its  powers,  capabilities, 
origin,  and  destination ;  and  the  nature  of  that  prepara- 
tory discipline,  to  which,  in  its  present  stage  of  being, 
it  is,  in  the  order  of  Providence,  subjected. 

2.  From  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  the  elements  both 
of  the  physical  and  the  moral  world,  which  constantly 
surround  us,  are  perpetually  undergoing  transmutation 
and  change.  Like  the  ample  volume  of  the  atmos- 
phere, which  presses  upon  us  with  an  equal  weight  on 
every  hand,  those  particles  which  are  present,  with  an 
all-pervading  influence,  at  one  moment,  are  instantane- 
ously succeeded  by  others  in  their  turn ;  while  the  former 
have  rushed  onwards  with  an  undiminished  current  to 
permeate  the  broad  surface  of  humanity.  Not  unfre- 
quently,  the  most  apparently  trifling  events  are  fraught 
with  the  most  momentous  issues  to  the  determination 
of  character,  as  well  as  to  the  fortunes  of  individuals 
and  the  welfare  of  society.  So  finely  spun  is  the  web 
of  human  destiny,  so  interwoven  and  interlaced  in 
endless  diversities  of  combination,  that  nothing  visible 
or  audible,  occurring  in  the  wide  expanse  of  nature 
and  of  art,  can  be  said  to  be  wholly  without  influence 
upon  even  its  most  casual  observer.  That  overruling 
Providence,  without  whose  special  ordinance  and  note 
"  not  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground,"  in  its  supervis- 
ion of  the  boundless  universe,  so  adjusts  the  harmoni- 
ous play  of  myriads  of  worlds  and  of  systems,  with 
their  infinity  of  existences,  to  the  apparently  fleeting 
interests  of  time,  and  the  most  apparently  trifling  con- 
cerns of  individuals,  that  "  even  the  very  hairs  of  our 
head  are  numbered  ;"  and  those  occurrences  which,  in 
our  ignorance  and  our  weakness,  we  are  accustomed 
to  deem  the  merest  chances  of  the  passing  hour,  are 
dependent  upon  principles  and  subjected  to  laws  as 
invariable  and  unchanging  as  are  those  by  which  the 
"  stars  in  their  courses  "  fulfil  their  appointed  rounds. 


FORMATION  AND  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  CHARACTER.    87 

If  we  will  consent  to  pause  in  our  thoughtless  and  care- 
less career  sufficiently  long  to  apprehend  the  solemn  and 
deeply  interesting  truth,  shall  we  not  find  reason  to  be- 
lieve that,  at  every  instant  of  our  lives,  we  are  encom- 
passed by  innumerable  agents,  seen  and  unseen,  silently 
weaving  the  thread  of  our  destiny,  and  imperceptibly 
directing  the  current  of  our  fate  ?  Shall-  we  not  be  con- 
vinced that,  while  the  vast  operations  of  creative  wisdom 
and  goodness  are  guided  and  directed  with  a  view  to 
the  grand  results  of  the  combined  whole,  yet  that  no 
incident  is  permitted  to  occur  within  the  range  of  our 
individual  perception,  which  has  not  its  special  mission 
for  us,  and  which  does  not,  in  some  manner,  immedi- 
ately or  remotely,  affect  our  interests  and  well-being  ? 
In  a  word,  shall  we  not  find  that  we  are  surrounded 
with  solemn,  but  eventful  mysteries,  moving  among 
scenes  and  associations  of  momentous  import  to  our 
destiny,  and  daily  and  hourly  shaping  the  character 
of  an  existence  which  is  to  know  no  termination  ? 

"  Millions  of  spiritual  beings  walk  the  earth 
Unseen,  both  when  we  sleep  and  when  we  wake." 

3.  Whoever  is  accustomed  to  even  an  occasional 
process  of  self-examination  cannot  fail  to  have  been 
conscious  of  the  presence  of  powerful  influences,  which, 
from  time  to  time,  have  affected  his  mind  and  swayed 
his  actions,  and  given  a  more  or  less  permanent  hue 
to  his  character — influences,  perhaps,  which,  "  come 
like  shadows,  so  depart,"  from  the  world  of  imagina- 
tion, from  the  regions  of  the  ideal,  from  the  variegated 
and  changing  face  of  Nature,  in  her  agitation  and  re- 
pose, her  sublimity  and  her  beauty  ;  often  too  subtile 
to  be  detected  and  fixed  in  the  mind,  or  to  be  recalled 
or  traced  to  their  source,  and  yet  imbibed  as  a  con- 
stituent portion  of  that  mental  and  moral  aliment  upon 
which  the  soul  exists,  and  from  which,  by  its  own 
intrinsic  power,  it  derives  the  elements  of  progress  and 
of  growth.  If,  therefore,  we  would  investigate  those 


88  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

elements  of  character  which  are  ,best  adapted  to  the 
harmonious  developement  of  all  the  various  faculties  of 
our  nature, — if  we  would  direct  the  future  pilgrim  of 
humanity  in  that  straight  and  narrow  path  which  leads 
to  life,  and  pleasantness,  and  peace, — we  must  descend 
at  once  to  the  deep  fountains  of  the  soul,  and  pene- 
trate, so  far  as  we  may,  through  the  aid  of  revelation 
and  a  sound  philosophy,  into  the  sources  of  human 
motive  and  conduct — the  invariable  well-spring  of 
character  and  destiny.  That  mental  culture  which 
has  been  formed  and  is  maturing  upon  foundations 
less  solid,  deep,  and  durable,  than  those  which  underlie 
the  entire  surface  of  humanity,  is  destitute  of  those 
elements  of  power,  of  expansion,  and  of  strength, 
which  are  requisite  to  the  perfect  developement  of  the 
faculties  with  which  every  intelligent  and  responsible 
being  has  been  endowed.  Perfection  or  perfectibility 
has  been  written,  in  legible  characters,  on  every  ema- 
nation of  creative  wisdom  and  power ;  and  we  are 
not,  for  a  moment,  to  indulge  the  idea  that,  in  its 
greatest  work, — the  birth  of  humanity  in  the  image 
and  with  the  benediction  of  its  Author, — a  work  de- 
signed to  survive  the  catastrophe  of  the  universe,  and 
to  exist  when  time  itself  shall  be  no  longer, — any  in- 
superable obstacle  has  been  interposed  to  the  ultimate 
attainment  of  the  highest  objects  of  intellectual,  moral, 
and  immortal  being. 

4.  The  earliest  and  most  enduring  foundations  of 
character  are  laid  in  the  unrestrained  intercourse  of  the 
family  circle,  and  in  the  institutions  for  elementary  in- 
struction. The  ideals  of  excellence  and  the  motives  for 
exertion  are  first  conceived  from  the  lessons  and  the 
examples  of  home  ;  and,  whatever  may  be  the  ten- 
dency of  the  influence  thus  exerted,  it  is  so  far  per- 
manent, that  nothing  less  than  a  complete  revolution 
in  character,  effected  by  years  of  counteracting  im- 
pressions, and  the  slow  process  and  painful  results  of 


FORMATION  AND  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  CHARACTER.  89 

experience,  can  efface  the  deep  traces  of  its  inscription 
on  the  mind  and  of  its  supremacy  over  the  life.  The 
natural  and  irresistible  impulse  of  the  child  prompts 
him  not  only  to  venerate,  but  to  imitate,  to  the  extent 
of  his  capacity,  the  character,  the  habits,  and  the  pur- 
suits, of  the  parent ;  to  mould  the  energies  and  the 
faculties  of  his  own  mind  upon  the  model  thus  con- 
stantly before  him  ;  and  to  adopt,  as  the  standard  of 
his  attainments,  the  intellectual  and  moral  excellences 
or  defects  which  are  daily  and  hourly  exhibited  to 
his  view.  The  same  principle,  although  greatly 
modified  in  degree,  prevails  on  the  transfer  of  the 
child  from  the  domestic  hearth  to  the  elementary 
school.  The  teacher  succeeds  to  the  authority  and 
influence  of  the  parent,  while  a  new  and  vitally  im- 
portant element  of  progress  is  added  in  the  intimate 
association  which  springs  up  with  other  and  differ- 
ently constituted  minds.  It  is  at  this  period  that  moral 
impressions  are  made  with  the  greatest  facility,  and 
take  deepest  root.  The  .earlier  or  later  developement 
of  the  intellectual  faculties  depends  upon  a  variety  of 
causes,  wholly  or  chiefly  disconnected  from  the  moral 
sentiments ;  and  while  the  former  are  stimulated  to 
action  by  their  own  intrinsic  energy,  or  by  the  numer- 
ous objects  of  the  external  world,  the  latter  are  con- 
stantly and  necessarily  excited  and  affected  by  the 
passing  incidents  of  each  successive  day  and  hour, 
and  gather  from  thence  those  materials  which  are  to 
compose  the  fabric  of  character.  The  adhesive  te- 
nacity with  which  first  impressions  retain  their  influ- 
ence over  the  youthful  mind,  renders  it  morally  cer- 
tain that  no  subsequent  developement,  resulting  from 
the  experience  of  maturer  years,  will  effectually  oblit- 
erate those  lessons,  which,  imbibed  in  the  purity  and 
innocence  of  childhood,  sink  deepest  into  the  mind 
and  in  ,-st  permanently  imbue  the  heart.  Well  would 
8 


90  MENTAL   AND   MORAL  CULTURE. 

it  be  for  the  interests  of  humanity  were  parents  and 
teachers  more  generally  aware  of  the  powerful  ele- 
ments of  moral  culture  which  they  directly  and  indi- 
rectly control ;  of  the  solemn  responsibilities  of  their 
position,  and  of  the  blessings  which  they  might  diffuse, 
the  evils  they  might  avert,  and  the  lasting  benefits 
they  might  confer  upon  civilization  and  Christianity, 
by  an  enlightened  and  conscientious  discharge  of  the 
high  duties  they  have  assumed. 

5.  It  is,  however,  always  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that 
the  distinctive  feature  of  humanity  is  individual  respon- 
sibility, and  its  great  characteristic,  the  capacity  for 
indefinite  progression.  To  an  extent  greater  than 
most  of  us  are  aware,  each  individual  is  the  artificer 
of  his  intellectual  and  moral,  no  less  than  of  his  mere 
worldly,  destiny  and  fortune.  The  vast  disproportion 
between  the  infant  mind  of  the  future  philosopher  or 
statesman,  and  the  same  mind  in  the  full  maturity  of 
its  strength  and  greatness,  affords  abundant  testimony 
of  its  intrinsic  capacity  for  advancement.  Obstacles 
there  may  and  will  be  to  be  encountered  and  sur- 
mounted. Each  individual  of  the  race  finds  himself, 
at  every  period  of  his  life,  surrounded  by  circum- 
stances and  events  peculiar  to  his  own  condition,  and 
demanding  the  exercise  of  a  determination  and  a  will, 
for  which  he  alone  is  intellectually  and  morally  re- 
sponsible. The  developement  and  culture  of  the 
mental  faculties,  and  the  consequent  formation  of 
character,  are  advanced  by  all  the  influences  which 
are  derivable  from  the  external  world  of  matter  and 
of  mind.  To  escape  companionship  with  evil,  we 
must  indeed  go  out  of  the  world  :  nor  can  that  char- 
acter be  regarded  as  of  a  high  order,  which  fears  to 
face  temptation,  opposition,  or  error,  whenever  and 
wherever  duty  and  truth  require.  It  is  from  the  prev- 
alence of  vice,  of  suffering,  and  of  misery,  that  oppor- 
tunities are  afforded  for  the  exercise  of  the  greatest 


FORMATION   AND   DEVELOPMENT    OF   CHARACTER.    91 

virtues  ;  and  it  is  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  of  trial,  sur- 
rounded by  guilt,  by  ignorance,  and  by  error,  that  we 
are  required  to  bring  into  active  exertion  those  nobler 
principles  which  constitute  the  true  elements  of  moral 
and  mental  greatness. 

6.  The  general  diffusion  and  progressive  advance- 
ment of  an  enlightened  civilization,  based  on  the  prin- 
ciples of  a  sound  philosophy,  and  illuminated  by  the 
steady  rays  of  Christianity,  constitute  an  important  ele- 
ment in  the  formation  and  developement  of  character. 
That  condition  of  society  in  which  the  supremacy  of 
the  moral  sentiments,  if  not,  in  all  respects,  practi- 
cally carried  into  the  conduct,  is  still  universally  rec- 
ognized in  theory,  and  uniformly  inculcated  by  pre- 
cept, is  at  an  immense  remove,  in  all  that  constitutes 
the  well-being  of  individuals  or  communities,  from 
that  where  lawless  force  predominates,  and  where 
each  individual  and  each  interest  is  regarded  by  com- 
mon consent  as  the  legitimate  prey  of  superior  phys- 
ical strength,  cunning,  or  craft.  In  the  former,  while 
the  faculties  of  the  intellect  and  the  affections  of  the 
heart  are  expanding  into  those  principles  of  action 
upon  which  the  superstructure  of  the  future  character 
is  to  be  erected,  the  pervading  stimulus  of  public  sen- 
timent, as  expressed  in  the  writings,  the  discourses, 
and  conversation,  which  the  influential  minds  of  the 
community  are  constantly  giving  forth,  will  so  far  for- 
tify and  strengthen  virtuous  resolutions,  as  to  render 
them  impervious,  to  a  very  great  and  steadily  increas- 
ing extent,  to  the  otherwise  potent  force  of  the  vicious 
examples  which  are  too  frequently  presented  in  the 
busy  scenes  of  life.  In  the  latter,  the  effect  is  directly 
the  reverse  ;  and  the  "  still,  small  voice  "  of  wisdom 
and  of  truth  is  sure  to  be  fearfully  overborne  by  the 
overwhelming  predominance  of  the  selfish  and  animal 
propensities,  incessantly  excited  into  undue  activity  by 
the  powerful  fascinations  of  popular  applause,  and  un- 


92  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE, 

restrained  by  public  sentiment.  The  moral  and  intel- 
lectual atmosphere  which  pervades  a  community 
where  the  great  results  of  science,  the  well-grounded 
inductions  of  a  rational  philosophy,  and  the  funda- 
mental truths  of  revelation,  are  duly  appreciated,  ia 
eminently  favorable  to  the  highest  self-culture.  The 
passions  and  propensities  of  the  animal  nature  are 
more  easily  subdued  and  restrained  ;  the  innate  dignity 
of  humanity  is  more  readily  perceived  and  acknowl- 
edged ;  and  the  mind,  sustained  and  invigorated  by 
a  clearer  conviction  of  the  intrinsic  value  of  sound 
knowledge  and  moral  discipline,  if  not  as  an  end,  yet 
as  a  constantly  progressive  and  infinite  series  of  means, 
steadily  enlarges  its  powers,  and  extends  its  views 
over  the  broad  and  illimitable  surface  of  thought  and 
action. 

7.  The  almost  inconceivable  multiplication  of  the 
means  of  knowledge  which  have  resulted  from  a  few 
of  those  great  discoveries  and  inventions  which  imme- 
diately preceded  the  revival  of  civilization  at  the  close 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  has,  within  the  compass  of 
comparatively  a  brief  period,  effected  a  radical  revolu- 
tion in  the  mental  and  moral,  no  less  than  in  the 
physical  world.  The  heavenly  bodies,  from  an  "  o^er- 
hanging  firmament"  of  glittering  stars,  upon  which  the 
vivid  imagination  might  inscribe  and  perpetuate  the 
fabulous  legends  of  traditionary  lore,  or  superstitious 
awe  or  crafty  guile  attempt  to  decipher  the  hidden 
secrets  of  futurity,  or  to  interpret  the  awful  scroll  of 
destiny,  have  become  the  vast  theatre  of  Omnipotent 
Wisdom  and  Goodness — the  outer  courts  of  immen- 
sity— the  entra'nce  chambers  to  that  universe  "  whose 
centre  is  every  where  and  its  circumference  nowhere." 
The  earth,  from  an  extended  succession  of  hill  and 
valley,  designed  for  the  support  of  the  vegetable,  min- 
eral, and  animal  creation,  and  resting  upon  some  mys- 
terious and  undiscoverable  foundation,  has  become  the 


FORMATION  AND  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  CHARACTER.  93 

external  surface  of  one  of  the  smallest  of  the  planetary 
orbs,  subjected  to  the  intermittent  action  of  pent-up 
elements,  and  the  varying  effects  of  a  series  of  organic 
influences,  which  have  for  ages  been  engaged  in  mod- 
ifying and  changing  its  physical  condition,  and  accom- 
plishing the  ulterior  purposes  of  Providence  in  respect 
to  its  destination.  The  elements,  from  the  dread  min- 
isters of  wrath,  have  been  transformed  into  the  power- 
ful but  obedient  servants  and  instruments  of  mind. 
The  various  properties  of  matter,  from  themes  of  bar- 
ren and  profitless  speculation,  have  been  converted 
into  efficient  attributes  of  practical  science  and  attrac- 
tive philosophy. 

8.  A  transformation,  not  indeed  so  complete,  but  no 
less  important,  has  been  effected  in  the  moral  world. 
The  highest  good  is  no  longer  placed,  even  by  the 
most  superficial  and  least  reflecting  mind,  in  the  grati- 
fication of  the  appetites  and  passions.  The  prompt- 
ings of  a  higher  nature  are  recognized,  however  dimly 
and  inefficaciously,  by  the  lowest  order  of  intellect, 
and  in  the  humblest  department  of  the  great  social 
organization.  The  destructive  conflicts  of  physical 
force,  which  during  so  long  a  period  have  desolated 
the  earth,  are  rapidly  disappearing,  and  giving  place  to 
the  more  powerful  energies  of  mental  competition. 
The  master-spirits  of  the  civilized  world — those  who 
wield  the  truncheons  of  command,  and  exert  the  widest 
sway  over  the  destinies  of  nations  and  of  individuals — 
are  no  longer  the  crowned  heads,  or  the  "  great  cap- 
tains," but  the  philosopher,  the  statesman,  the  artist, 
the  discoverer,  and  the  teacher  —  those  who,  from,  the 
central  and  commanding  eminence  of  some  great  and 
enduring  principle,  have  spoken  in  their  might  to  the 
sympathetic  hearts  and  minds  of  the  multitude,  either 
directly  or  through  the  intervention  of  the  gifted  few 
who  have  caught,  and  faithfully  transmitted  to  the 
universal  ear,  their  "  thoughts  that  breathe  and  word» 


94  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

that  burn."  It  is  in  the  midst  of  this  progressive  civili- 
zation, where,  by  a  law  of  the  moral  world  as  inflexi- 
ble and  certain  as  those  which  govern  the  universe 
of  matter,  the  vital  principles  of  true  wisdom,  which 
have  been  discovered  and  applied  by  the  pioneers 
of  the  mind,  must  ultimately  pervade  the  entire 
mass,  that  the  superstructure  of  character  may  be 
expected  to  assume  its  noblest  and  most  harmonious 
proportions. 

9.  The  highest  results  of  civilization  can  be  attained 
only  under  the  guidance  and  pervading  influence  of 
pure  Christianity  ;  and  the  religious  principle  is,  un- 
questionably, by  far  the  most  potent  of  the  various  ele- 
ments which  enter  into  the  composition  of  character. 
This  is  the  ultimate  principle  to  which  all  of  true 
greatness  which  the  world  has  ever  witnessed,  or  will 
ever  witness,  must  be  referred  ;  and  it  is  because,  and 
only  because,  this  principle,  in  all  its  beauty  and  sub- 
limity, as  denned  and  illustrated  by  the  Great  Teacher, 
lias  never  been  fully  apprehended,  that  the  highest  at- 
tainments of  science,  the  profoundest  speculations  of 
philosophy,  the  widest  range  of  thought,  and  the 
utmost  energy  of  action,  have  hitherto  failed  to  accom- 
plish those  ends,  in  the  elevation  and  advancement  of 
humanity,  which  they  were  designed  to  subserve. 
That  religion,  alone,  which  inculcates  "  peace  on 
earth  and  good-will  to  men ;"  whose  Founder  an- 
nounced, and  in  his  own  person  exemplified,  the 
future  life,  its  principles,  its  purity,  its  "  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises ;"  which  imbodies  in  its 
precepts  and  its  doctrines  the  cardinal  principles  of 
mental  and  moral  progress,  and  the  results  of  a  wis- 
dom immeasurably  transcending  that  of  earth  in  its 
highest  flight ;  that  religion,  alone,  which,  while  it 
tasks  the  noblest  faculties  of  the  most  comprehensive 
intellect,  adapts  its  teachings  to  the  earliest  apprecia- 
tion of  infantile  innocence,  and  the  most  immature 


FORMATION  AND  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  CHARACTER.  95 

capacity  of  guileless  simplicity, — can  effectually  dis- 
cipline and  mould  the  character  to  the  accomplishment 
of  its  high  destinies. 

10.  The  view  which  each  individual  takes  of  his 
own  origin,  the  objects  and  purposes  of  his  exist- 
ence, his  ultimate  destination,  and  the  conditions 
upon  which  his  well-being  here  and  hereafter  depends, 
necessarily  exerts  a  pervading  power  over  his  life, 
whether  of  action  or  of  thought.  If  he  faithfully 
strives  to  bring  into  harmonious  accordance  the  con- 
victions of  his  understanding  and  the  successive  events 
of  his  existence ;  to  reconcile  his  ideal  standard  of 
duty  with  the  practical  discharge  of  his  various  obliga- 
tions to  his  Creator,  to  society,  and  to  mankind  ;  and 
to  carry  out,  amid  the  disturbing  influences  of  the 
world  without,  and  of  his  own  heart  within,  the  princi- 
ples which  his  unclouded  judgment  has  sanctioned  and 
adopted, — the  progressive  developement  and  healthy 
growth  of  his  intellectual  and  moral  being  will  be  in- 
evitable and  rapid.  On  the  other  hand,  if  he  proves 
false  to  those  convictions, — if  the  promptings  of  his 
better  nature,  the  *'  voice  of  God  within  his  soul," 
the  admonitions  of  conscience,  and  the  dictates  of 
his  highest  reason,  are  disregarded  or  subordinated 
to  the  imperious  requisitions  of  the  passions, — the 
effect  upon  the  gradual  elaboration  and  final  direction 
of  the  character  is  equally  certain  and  equally  rapid. 
There  is  another  phase  of  mental  phenomena,  which 
most  frequently  presents  itself  to  our  observation,  con- 
stituting a  medium  between  these  two  extremes,  and 
resulting  in  that  apparent  indecision  or  inconsistency 
of  character  which  seems  to  defy  all  attempts  at 
analysis,  and  renders  its  ultimate  tendency  dependent 
upon  the  final  predominance  of  the  good  or  the  evil 
principles  which  maintain  an  incessant  struggle  for 
supremacy  over  the  life.  However  frequent  or  rare 
the  alternations  of  victory,  or  prolonged  the  triumph 


96  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

which  either  principle  may  achieve,  the  effect  upon 
the  character  is  equally  pervading  and  equally  impor- 
tant. 

11.  All  external  human  action,   and  consequently 
the  entire  web  of  human  life,  as  it  manifests  itself  in 
conduct  and  character,  emanates  from   mental   voli- 
tion ;  and  that  volition  is  determined  by  a  mental  pro- 
cess, more  or  less  complicated  in  proportion  to  the 
energy,  strength,  and  comprehensiveness  of  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  faculties,  and  the  discipline  to  which 
they  have  been  subjected.     A  deep   and    pervading 
sense  of  the  presence,  and  an  enlightened  conception 
of  the  attributes  and  moral  government  of  the  Omnipo- 
tent and  Omniscient  Spirit  of  the   universe,   furnish 
motives  and  incentives  to  a  course  of  action,  from  the 
earliest  dawn  of  moral  responsibility  to  the  close  of  our 
earthly  existence,  which  no  other  source  can  supply ; 
and  if  to  these  be  superadded  the  sanctions  which  rea- 
son and  revelation  have  unfolded,  based  upon  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul  and  a  future  existence,  a  direc- 
tion is  given  to  the  character  and  the  life,  and  an  in- 
tensity and  energy  of  purpose,  and  an  inflexibility  of 
will  conferred,  which  subjects  all  minor  considerations 
to  the  paramount  supremacy  of  duty  and  conscience. 

12.  There  is  no   page  in  the  history  of  mankind 
upon  which  we  dwell   with  deeper  interest,  and   to 
which  we  more  often  recur  when  we  desire  to  strength- 
en our  faith  in  the  intrinsic  nobility  of  our  nature,  than 
that  which  records  the  trials,  the  reverses,  the  suffer- 
ings, and  the  martyrdom  of  the  devotees  to  great  prin- 
ciples ;   the  triumph  of  mind,  in  its  integrity  and  its 
fidelity  to  truth  and  duty  over  the  combined  elements 
which  oppose  its  upward  progress ;  and  the  resulting 
harvest  of  knowledge,  and  of  mental  and  moral  ad- 
vancement, which  invariably  spring  up  from  the  good 
seed    thus   sown.      On  the  other   hand,  there  surely 
can  be  no  more  melancholy  reflection  than  that  which 


FORMATION  AND  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  CHARACTER.  97 

is  induced  by  the  contemplation  of  the  long  annals  of 
vice  and  crime,  of  violence  and  guilt,  which  form  the 
great  staple  of  written  and  unwritten  history  ;  the  prod- 
uct of  ignorance,  of  error,  and  of  undisciplined  pas- 
sions ;  the  rank  and  poisonous  weeds  of  the  rich,  but 
unfilled  soil  of  the  human  mind.  The  universal  dif- 
fusion of  Christianity  throughout  the  civilized  world ; 
the  numerous  and  varied  illustrations  of  its  principles 
and  doctrines,  which  an  increasing  appreciation  of  its 
intrinsic  excellence  and  true  value  is  constantly  sup- 
plying ;  and  the  periodical  enforcement  of  its  solemn 
and  interesting  truths,  which  the  several  denominations 
of  worshippers  at  one  common  altar  have  established 
and  secured, — afford  abundant  facilities  for  the  inhala- 
tion of  the  purest  element  of  intellectual  and  moral 
growth.  Undoubtedly,  many  minds  of  native  vigor 
and  strength  are  induced  to  avoid  this  unfailing  well- 
spring  of  mental  excellence  from  early  prejudice, 
from  the  lamentable  perversion  of  the  precepts  of 
Christianity,  or  from  the  still  more  lamentable,  be- 
cause more  pervading  and  comprehensive,  feuds  and 
collisions  of  religious  sects.  A  judicious  and  salutary 
discrimination,  however,  and  a  sincere  and  earnest 
desire  to  pursue  the  narrow  but  clearly  defined  path 
of  true  wisdom,  will  not  fail  to  dictate  a  conscientious 
adherence  to  the  spirit  and  the  truth  of  inspiration, 
when  once  its  authenticity  and  its  source  are  deter- 
mined. These,  the  almost  unanimous  acquiescence 
of  the  highest  minds,  during  a  period  of  eighteen  cen- 
turies, while  it  cannot  and  does  not  exclude  the  obvi- 
ous and  paramount  necessity  of  personal  and  thorough 
investigation,  places  beyond  the  pale  of  a  rational 
skepticism. 

13.  The  successive  events  and  changing  vicissitudes 
of  life  variously  modify  and  deeply  affect  the  forma- 
tipn  of  character.     There  are  few  subjects  of  reflec- 
9 


98  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

tion  more  sublime  than  that  which  is  presented  by  the 
infinite  diversity  which  pervades  the  physical  and 
moral  universe.  So  far  as  our  limited  faculties  are 
able  to  discern,  no  two  objects  in  the  vast  immensity 
of  creation,  from  the  least  of  those  atoms  which  are 
revealed  by  the  microscope  to  the  most  distant  of  the 
orbs  which  astronomical  science  has  brought  within 
the  range  of  human  vision,  are  in  all  respects  uniform, 
either  in  their  structure,  or  in  the  objects  they  are 
designed  to  subserve.  The  boundless  resources  of 
creative  wisdom  and  goodness  are  nowhere  more 
distinctly  perceptible  than  in  the  wondrous  adaptation 
of  the  various  faculties  of  the  mind  to  the  external 
world,  and  to  the  moral  administration  of  a  superin- 
tending providence.  There  are  the  most  abundant 
reasons  for  believing  that  every  incident  in  the  life  of 
the  humblest  as  well  as  of  the  most  exalted  individual, 
every  action  which  he  is  called  upon  to  perform,  nay, 
perhaps  every  thought  of  his  heart,  every  emotion, 
every  impulse  of  his  moral  nature,  may  exert,  directly 
or  indirectly,  an  influence  not  only  upon  his  own  well- 
being,  but  upon  the  well-being  of  some,  at  least,  of  his 
brethren  of  the  human  family.  Upon  himself,  that 
influence,  whatever  it  may  be,  enters  into,  and  forms 
a  component  part  of  his  character ;  and,  fugitive  and 
evanescent  as  may  be  its  immediate  effect,  becomes 
part  and  parcel  of  his  moral  being,  and  can  no  more 
be  resolved  into  non-existence,  than  a  particle  of 
matter  can  disappear  from  the  physical  universe. 

14.  But  it  is  with  more  exclusive  reference  to  those 
strongly  defined  events  of  life  which  cross  the  path  of 
all,  and  form  prominent  landmarks  on  the  surface  of 
existence,  that  allusion  has  been  made  to  this  element 
in  the  formation  and  modification  of  character. 
Whether  we  regard  the  revolutions  in  the  history  of 
empires,  nations,  communities,  or  individuals,  which, 


FORMATION    AND    DEVELOPEMENT    OF    CHARACTER.     99 

in  their  results,  effect  a  radical  change  in  the  course 
of  events  by  which" they  were  preceded,  or  those  less 
striking,  because  more  common  incidents,  which  are 
daily  and  hourly  transpiring,  and  which  affect  the 
lives,  th'e  health,  the  fortunes,  and  the  happiness  of 
mankind, — it  is  certain  that  each  of  these  events,  as 
it  occurs,  marks  an  epoch  of  greater  or  less  impor- 
tance in  the  developement  of  our  moral  being.  The 
uses  of  adversity,  and  the  ministration  of  sorrow,  of 
pain,  of  crosses,  and  of  disappointment,  are  manifold 
and  salutary.  The  ravages  of  death,  in  all  its  various 
forms,  nipping  the  opening  blossom  of  infant  existence, 
striking  down  the  youth  in  his  prime,  and  the  man  in 
his  maturity,  sundering  the  dearest  ties  of  life,  or 
gathering  into  its  granary  of  mortality  the  aged  "  like 
shocks  of  corn  fully  ripe," — whenever  and  wherever  the 
bolts  of  the  great  destroyer  are  sped  around  us, — "  must 
give  us  pause  "  in  our  onward  progress,  and  recall  us 
to  salutary  reflections,  and  a  sober  review  of  the 
various  problems  of  our  mysterious  being.  In  the 
temporary  abstraction  from  the  busy  avocations  of 
time  and  sense  which  events  like  these  induce, — brood- 
ing over  the  ruptured  and  bleeding  tendrils  of  affec- 
tion, of  hope,  and  of  anticipation, — while  in  beautiful 
accordance  with  those  organic  laws  of  the  mental  as 
well  as  of  the  physical  constitution  which  the  Crea- 
tor has  benevolently  adjusted  to  the  requirements  of 
our  nature,  the  wounds  of  the  heart  have  time  to 
cicatrize,  and  its  sundered  ligaments  to  readjust  them- 
selves,— a  renovating  process  is  accomplished  in  the 
character  and  the  life.  We  feel  that  "  a  change  has 
come  o'er  the  spirit  of  our  dream,"  that  we  are  not,  in 
all  respects,  what  we  were ;  and  when  we  go  forth 
again  to  mingle  with  the  busy  current  of  humani- 
ty, it  is  with  a  chastened  appreciation  of  its  true  value, 
and  an  increased  conviction  of  "  what  shadows  we 
are,  and  what  shadows  we  pursue." 


100  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

"  One  adeauate  support 
For  the  calamities  of  mortal  life 
Exists  —  one  only  —  an  assured  belief 
That  the  procession  of  our  fate,  howe'er 
Sad  or  disturbed,  is  ordered  by  a  Being 
Of  infinite  benevolence  and  power, 
Whose  everlasting  purposes  embrace 
All  accidents,  converting  them  to  good." 

15.  To  conclude :  the  noblest  attainment  in  the 
process  of  that  enlightened  discipline  of  the  intellectual 
and  moral  faculties,  which  constitutes  character,  is 
undoubtedly  to  be  found  in  the  abiding  and  pervading 
influence  of  that  catholic  spirit  of  active  benevolence, 
comprehensive  charity,  and  imperturbable  equanimity, 
which,  recognizing  in  every  individual  of  the  human 
family,  however  low  or  degraded,  the  ineffaceable 
stamp  of  a  common  brotherhood,  knows  how  to  make 
due  allowance  for  the  infinite  diversity  of  circum- 
stances and  condition,  and,  in  the  habitual  and  cheerful 
discharge  of  every  individual,  social,  and  moral  duty, 
calmly  reposes  in  the  undoubting  assurance  of  an  ever- 
present  Providence.  To  a  mind  so  disciplined,  the 
manifold  voices  of  nature  are  attuned  to  a  harmony 
refined,  elevating,  grateful,  and  accordant  with  every 
faculty. 

"  Not  a  breeze 

Flies  o'er  the  meadow — not  a  cloud  imbibes 
The  setting  sun's  effulgence — not  a  strain 
From  all  the  tenants  of  the  warbling  shade 
Ascends,  but  whence  his  bosom  can  partake 
Fresh  pleasure  unreproved." 

The  vivid  enjoyment  of  an  existence  invigorated  "by 
the  free  exercise  of  its  own  buoyant  energies,  en- 
lightened and  directed  by  progressive  knowledge, 
undisturbed  by  the  tumults  of  passion,  and  finding  its 
appropriate  and  genial  aliment  in  the  cultivation  and 
developement  of  its  higher  nature,  and  of  all  the  virtues 
and  graces  of  humanity,  while  it  constitutes  and  se- 
cures our  highest  happiness,  fulfils  the  objects  and 


FORMATION    AND    DEVELOPEMENT    OF    CHARACTER.    101 

purposes  of  that  being  which  was  conferred  upon  us 
by  our  Creator. 

16.  It  is  a  beautiful  provision  of  our  nature,  fraught 
alike  with  intimations  of  its  immortality,  its  native 
grandeur,  and  upward  tendency,  that  visions  of  greater 
excellence  than  any  we  can  realize  in  our  e very-day 
life  ;  aspirations  for  a  higher  and  a  nobler  sphere  of 
action  than  we  find  attainable  within  the  confined 
limits  which  encompass  us  on  every  hand ;  and  a  faint 
appreciation  of  ideal  beauty  and  sublimity,  which  yet, 
with  our  limited  faculties,  we  cannot  hope,  except  in 
imagination,  to  comprehend  or  to  realize, — often  hover 
around  us  in  our  better  moments,  and  seem,  as  with  the 
whisperings  of  angels'  voices,  to  bring  us  the  intelli- 
gence and  the  foretaste  of  a  brighter  and  purer  world. 
There  are  depths  in  the  mind  of  every  intelligent  hu- 
man being  to  which  the  shafts  of  philosophy  have 
never  yet  penetrated  ;  wells  of  living  water,  whose 
sources  lie  concealed  far  beneath  the  visible  surface 
of  character  or  emotion,  which  nevertheless  are  acces- 
sible to  him  who  faithfully  explores  the  deep  mysteries 
of  his  being,  and  which,  when  touched  by  the  magic 
wand  of  truth  and  nature,  can  cause  "  the  wilderness 
and  the  solitary  places"  of  passion,  of  error,  and  of 
guilt,  to  "  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose."  "  There  is  a 
one  heart  for  the  whole  mighty  mass  of  humanity,  and 
every  pulse  in  each  particular  vessel  strives  to  beat  in 
concert  with  it."  That  millions  of  the  race  pass 
through  the  world  in  ignorance  of  the  capabilities  of 
their  nature,  of  its  innumerable  chords  of  harmony, 
and  its  myriad  sources  of  enjoyment, — and  that  mil- 
lions, perhaps,  in  all  coming  time,  will  overlook  the 
flowers  of  happiness  scattered  in  bounteous  profusion 
around  their  daily  path,  in  the  vain  pursuit  of  unat- 
tainable and  imaginary  sweets, — militates  in  no  respect 
against  the  truth  of  this  sentiment ;  and,  while  the 
reflection  that  this  is,  and  will  be,  the  wayward  fortune 


102  MENT/.  ,   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

of  humanity,  should  induce  deep  humility  in  view  of 
the  errors,  frailties,  and  weaknesses  of  our  common 
nature,  the  expanding  circle  of  light,  increasing  by 
little  and  little  with  every  revolution  of  the  wheels  of 
time,  may  hopefully  be  deemed  the  harbinger  of  a 
brighter  and  better  day.  "  The  Eden  of  human 
nature  has  indeed  long  been  trampled  down  and 
desolated,  and  storms  waste  it  continually :  neverthe- 
less the  soil  is  still  rich  with  the  germs  of  its  pristine 
beauty  ;  the  colors  of  Paradise  are  sleeping  in  the 
clods  ;  and  a  little  favor,  a  little  protection,  and  a 
little  culture,  shall  show  what  once  was  there  ! " 


INCONSISTENCY  OF  CHARACTER.        103 


CHAPTER  VI. 

INCONSISTENCY  OF  CHARACTER. 

1.  THE  beautiful  fiction  pervading  the  ancient  ori- 
ental mythology,  which  recognized  the  existence  and 
alternate  influence  of  two  opposite  powers,  the  one  of 
good  and  the  other  of  evil,  faithfully  imbodies  the  re- 
sult of  human  wisdom,  unenlightened  by  inspiration, 
in  its  attempts  to  comprehend  the  physical  and  moral 
government  of  the  universe.  The  harmony  and  beauty 
which  every  where  prevail  in  the  material  world,  and 
the  wonderful  and  mysterious  adaptation  of  the  innu- 
merable works  of  creation,  above,  around,  and  beneath 
us,  to  the  purposes  they  were  designed  to  subserve, 
manifest,  to  the  most  ordinary  intellect,  a  comprehen- 
sive benevolence,  an  omnipotent  wisdom,  and  an  all- 
pervading  presence.  In  proportion  as  the  powers  and 
faculties  of  the  mind  expanded  to  a  more  enlarged 
apprehension  of  those  principles,  the  conviction  of 
an  infinite  and  boundless  beneficence  would  become 
more  and  more  irresistible ;  and  if,  at  times,  the  in- 
comprehensible combination  of  the  elements  assumed 
a  fearful  and  appalling  shape,  spreading  devastation 
and  terror  around,  and  frightening  the  astonished  na- 
tions from  their  propriety,  the  controlling  influence 
which  restrained  the  wildest  fury  of  the  storm,  the 
earthquake,  or  the  tornado,  and  prescribed  its  limits, 
is  recognized  as  a  spirit  of  goodness,  as  well  as  of 
power.  The  invariable  succession  of  the  seasons ; 
the  grateful  alternations  of  light  and  darkness ;  the 
regular  arrival  of  seed-time  and  harvest,  summer  and 
winter,  day  and  night,  were  felt  to  be  the  gifts  of  a 


104  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

benevolent  being ;  gifts  subservient  to  the  constant 
requirements  of  the  intelligent  creation,  and  wisely  and 
mysteriously  adapted  to  every  circumstance  of  life. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  vast  range  of  creation  spread 
out  to  view,  from  the  illimitable  expanse  of  the 
universe  of  worlds  and  systems  of  worlds  revolving 
around,  to  the  countless  myriads  of  existences  diffused 
throughout  the  immensity  of  space,  and  imperceptible 
to  ordinary  vision,  which  did  not  indicate  the  universal 
prevalence  of  infinite  wisdom,  combined  with  infinite 
love.  The  earliest  legends,  and  the  most  cherished 
and  ineradicable  traditions  of  every  nation,  and  every 
people  of  whose  existence  we  have  been  apprized, 
have  coincided  with  the  record  which  Christianity  rec- 
ognizes as  of  undoubted  inspiration,  in  the  belief  that 
the  primitive  condition  of  the  human  race  was  one  of 
unmingled  happiness,  innocence,  and  purity.  Equally 
general  and  universal  has  been  the  belief,  that  this  en- 
viable state  of  felicity  was  almost  immediately  super- 
seded by  a  lamentable  contrast ;  that  a  spirit  of  evil 
interposed  its  fell  power  to  blast  the  prospects  of 
humanity,  and  wither  its  fairest  flowers  of  hope  ;  and 
that  an  unequal  struggle  has  from  thenceforward  been 
maintained,  throughout  all  succeeding  time,  between 
two  powers  of  immortal  origin  and  co-existent  nature, 
for  ascendency  over  the  present  and  future  destiny  of 
the  intellectual  and  moral  faculties  of  man.  Nor  is  it 
at  all  surprising,  that  the  most  superficial  observation 
should  have  been  early  struck  with  the  disparity  so 
strikingly  manifested  between  the  natural  and  the 
moral  world  ;  or  that  it  should  have  attributed  the  pre- 
dominance of  evil  in  the  latter  to  the  deleterious  influ- 
ences of  a  power  acting  in  diametrical  opposition  to 
that  which  presided  over  the  former,  and  countervailing 
its  efforts  for  the  elevation  and  purification  of  the  affec- 
tions and  the  lives. 

2.  History,  observation,  and  experience,  alike  com- 


INCONSISTENCY    OF    CHARACTER.  105 

bine  to  teach  us  that  there  is  a  constant  struggle  going 
on  in  the  mind  of  man,  under  almost  every  conceiva- 
ble circumstance  and  situation   in    life,   between   its 
higher  nature  and   its  prevailing  inclination — its  up- 
ward tendency  and  the  powerful  current  of  passions 
which  sweeps  it  onward  to  degradation  and  ruin.     By 
the   proper  cultivation  of  our  intellectual  and  moral 
faculties,  and  by  availing  ourselves  of  the  benignant 
influences  by  which  we  are  every  where  surrounded, 
"  both  when  we  sleep  and  when  we  wake,"  we  find 
ourselves  abundantly  capable  of  attaining  to  a  high 
appreciation  of  our  nature,  the  great  purposes  of  our 
existence,  and  our  final  destination.    The  path  of  duty 
is  plainly  marked ;  the  avenues  which  lead  to  happi- 
ness are  invitingly  open ;  and  we  are  well  assured,  in 
the  striking  and  forcible  language  of  the  greatest  of  the 
prophets,  that   "  the  work  of  righteousness   shall  be . 
peace,  and  the  effect  of  righteousness,  quiet  and  assur- 
ance forever."    Every  dictate  of  our  unprejudiced  and 
sober  judgment  prompts  us  to  avoid  the  degrading  and 
withering   influences  of  vice,  and  guilt,  and  crime. 
They  are  all  and  each  unworthy  of  our  noble  and  up- 
ward-tending nature ;  they  convert  the  harmony,  and 
beauty,  and  magnificence  of  creation  into  discord,  dis- 
order, and  confusion ;  they  blunt  the  finer  perceptions 
of  the  mind,  and  pervert  the  best  and  purest  affections 
of  the  heart,  and  they  lead  us,  by  little  and  little,  from 
all  those  sources  of  enjoyment  which  were  designed 
by  the  Creator  of  our  spirits  to  cheer  the  rugged  paths 
of  life,  and  conduct  us,  through  the  "  beggarly  elements 
of  this  present  world,"  to  another  and  a  better  exist- 
ence hereafter.      All    these   considerations   are   con- 
stantly pressing  upon   us,   with  a  force  proportioned 
to  their  vast  importance ;  and  yet  how  inconsiderable 
a  portion  of  our  lives  exhibits  their  operation !  .  How 
insensibly  and  how  naturally,  it  may  almost  be  said, 
how  unavoidably,  do  we  relapse  from  the  deliberately 


106  MENTAL   A^D    MORAL    CULTURE. 

formed  resolutions  of  our  better  judgment  and  better 
nature,  to  the  weaknesses  and  frailties,  the  errors  and 
omissions,  the  evil  passions  and  corroding  vices,  which 
sink  us  to  the  level  of  the  "brutes  that  perish."  With 
an  abundant  appreciation  of  the  dignity  and  excellence 
of  virtue, — fully  realizing  the  "  daily  beauty  "  of  an 
innocent  and  a  blameless  life,  and  its  comparative  ex- 
emption from  all  those  manifold  sources  of  anguish, 
and  bitterness,  and  trouble,  with  which  the  world  is 
full,  forcibly  apprehending  the  capabilities  of  our  in- 
tellectual and  moral  powers  to  assert  their  superiority 
and  predominance  over  the  vicious  propensities  of  our 
nature, — we  yet  worship  the  radiant  image  of  virtue 
and  purity  at  a  distance,  while  we  bring  all  our  choicest 
and  most  valuable  gifts,  and  lay  them  upon  the  altars 
we  have  consecrated  to  worldly  ambition,  avarice,  and 
passion.  We  leave  the  paths  of  innocence  when  we 
lay  aside  the  sports  and  pursuits  of  childhood  ;  and 
we  open  the  book  of  knowledge,  imbibe  the  counsels 
of  wisdom  and  experience,  and  bring  forth  from  the 
repositories  of  the  past  the  varied  lessons  which  they 
contain,  only  to  burden  our  consciences,  at  the  last, 
with  the  additional  and  fearful  responsibility  involved 
in  a  clear  perception  of  our  duty,  and  our  guilt.  "  We 
know  the  right,  and  yet  the  wrong  pursue."  In  our 
closets,  and  in  the  secret  meditations  of  our  hearts, 
the  "  still,  small  voice  "  of  wisdom  and  of  truth  admon- 
ishes us  that  we  are  but  "  strangers  and  sojourners  " 
for  a  brief  and  rapidly  passing  season  here ;  that  to 
us  is  committed  a  high  and  a  glorious  mission,  and  for 
us  is  reserved  a  destination  surpassing  our  most  ex- 
alted conceptions  ;  that  even  here,  in  these  low  grounds 
of  flesh  and  sense,  and  surrounded  on  every  hand  by 
the  corrupting  influences  of  perverted  and  misapplied 
humanity, — innocence  and  integrity,  humility  and  sim- 
plicity, lead  to  happiness  and  peace  of  mind  ;  and  that, 
unequal  as  may  be  the  struggle,  and  painful  and  ex- 


INCONSISTENCY  OF  CHARACTER.        107 

hausting  the  contest  with  the  evil  principles  of  our 
nature,  the  victor's  crown  may  be  won  at  last,  and  the 
struggle  and  the  contest  forgotten  in  the  triumphant 
result.  Armed  at  all  points  with  a  philosophy  so  no- 
ble and  so  congenial  to  our  best  feelings,  we  go  forth 
into  the  busy  world  with  a  serene  brow  and  a  purified 
heart,  with  a  full  determination  to  resist  the  first  ap- 
proaches of  evil,  to  discharge  our  whole  duty,  to 
walk  in  the  narrow  path  of  innocence  and  upright- 
ness, and  to  illustrate  and  adorn  the  capabilities  and 
excellences  of  our  immortal  nature.  Alas !  for  the 
inconsistency  and  waywardness  of  the  human  charac- 
ter !  A  host  of  evil  passions,  whose  name  is  Legion, 
beset  us  on  every  hand ;  unexpected  obstacles  are 
interposed  to  our  best  and  strongest  resolutions  ;  our 
judgment  becomes  suddenly  and  fatally  perverted ; 
our  medium  of  vision  deplorably  obscured ;  the  world 
asserts  its  power,  and  we  look  in  vain  for  the  soothing 
and  renovating  influences  of  that  harmony  which  shall 
again  restore  our  spirits  to  peace  and  quietness. 

3.  Those  who  fancy  the  existence  of  unmitigated 
and  irredeemable  evil  in  any  of  the  human  race,  how- 
ever abandoned,  are  unacquainted  with  the  mysterious 
depths  of  the  heart  of  man.  Such  an  hypothesis  has 
no  foundation  in  experience,  in  reason,  or  in  Scripture. 
There  are  those  who  seem,  indeed,  to  have  prostituted 
all  the  energies  of  their  nature  to  the  influences  of 
vice  and  crime — who  are  apparently  abandoned  to  all 
sense  of  virtue,  of  morality,  or  religion— dead  even  to 
remorse,  and  wholly  removed,  so  far  as  human  pene- 
tration can  discover,  beyond  all  the  restraints  of  con- 
science, and  all  dread  of  retribution  here  or  hereafter ; 
and  yet  we  are  clearly  guilty  of  unauthorized  pre- 
sumption in  denouncing  the  ban  of  humanity  upon  the 
heads  of  the  most  irreclaimable  of  our  species.  The 
best  of  men  are  not  exempt  from  grievous  and  deplo- 
rable error ;  and  the  lesson  most  strikingly  and  forcibly 


108  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

impressed  upon  his  followers  by  Him,  who  only,  of 
all  the  dwellers  upon  earth,  was  exempt  from  human 
frailty,  was  that  of  uniform  forbearance  in  judging  of 
the  character  of  others,  and  of  solemn  warning  against 
an  uncharitable  condemnation  of  their  actions  or  mo- 
tives. 

4.  Passing  from  the  field  of  sacred  to  that  of  profane 
history,  we  are  frequently  presented  with  striking  con- 
tradictions and  contrasts  of  character^  for  which  we 
shall  often  labor  in  vain  to  account,  upon  the  ordinary 
principles  of  motive  and  action.  A  few  of  these  must 
suffice  for  the  illustration  of  the  subject  under  consid- 
eration. No  individual  of  ancient  times  appears  to  have 
approximated  in  a  greater  degree  to  the  sublime  and 
elevated  standard  of  Christian  philosophy,  or  to  have 
attained  to  a  more  correct  appreciation  of  the  beauty 
and  value  of  moral  truth  and  virtue,  than  Socrates. 
His  clear  and  powerful  intellect  dispersed  at  once, 
with  scarcely  an  effort,  the  mists  and  sh'adows  which 
ignorance  and  superstition  had  for  ages  accumulated 
in  the  mental  and  moral  horizon ;  and  he  was  enabled 
steadily  to  look  upon  the  bright  beams  of  that  "  Sun 
of  Righteousness,"  which  was  destined,  at  a  later 
period,  to  transmit  its  rays  to  the  human  family,  unob- 
structed by  the  intervening  clouds  of  superstition  and 
error.  To  him  it  was  permitted  to  look  beyond  the 
"  chances  and  changes  of  this  mortal  life,"  to  another 
and  a  better  state  of  existence,  to  a  far  distant  future, 
where  the  mind  and  the  soul  should  develope  all  their 
powers,  and  fulfil  a  destiny  for  which  the  narrow 
boundaries  of  time  and  the  encumbrances  of  mortality 
were  unfitted.  All  the  varied  evils  of  life  passed  him 
by  only  to  strengthen  his  virtuous  resolutions  and  pu- 
rify his  mental  vision ;  and  the  near  prospect  of  an 
undeserved  and  an  ignominious  death  served  only  to 
bring  out,  in  all  their  beauty  and  sublimity,  those 


INCONSISTENCY   OF   CHARACTER.  109 

priceless  treasures  of  a  philosophy  revealed  to  him 
alone,  and  exceeded  only  by  its  fuller  manifestation  in 
the  revelation  of  the  Saviour's  gospel.  And  yet,  with 
all  these  elevating  truths  struggling  for  utterance  with- 
in his  mighty  mind — amid  the  full  perception  of  the 
beautiful  and  the  true — this  extraordinary  and  gifted 
philosopher  found  himself  unable,  at  the  last,  to  aban- 
don the  senseless  idolatry  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 
While  his  clear  and  unperverted  intellect  recognized, 
and  his  pure  and  enlightened  heart  worshipped,  from 
its  inmost  depths,  the  "  Unknown  God,"  his  latest  and 
most  urgent  directions  to  his  friends  were  to  sacrifice, 
in  his  name,  upon  the  idolatrous  altars  of  an  absurd 
and  baseless  mythology. 

5.  It  is  needless  to  do  more  than  refer,  on  this  occa- 
sion, to  the  weaknesses  and  inconsistency  of  character 
exhibited  by  the  illustrious  Roman  orator  ;  at  one  time 
electrifying  the  senate  and  people  by  the  brilliancy 
and  the  power  of  his  unrivalled  eloquence,  and  at 
another  wasting  the  energies  of  his  intellect  in  the 
most  puerile  and  unmanly  complaints  at  the  fancied 
neglect  of  his  countrymen,  and  the  vicissitudes  of  an 
untoward  fortune  ;  now  treading,  with  equal  and  digni- 
fied steps,  the  loftiest  and  most  commanding  heights 
of  philosophy,  and  now  abjectly  shrinking  from  the 
"  pitiless  peltings "  of  the  storm,  whose  fierce  ele- 
ments, unconscious  of  their  power,  he  had,  with  a 
characteristic  vanity,  contributed  to  gather  over  the 
horizon  of  his  country's  hopes.  But  as  the  eventful 
and  variegated  scene  drew  to  a  close,  his  better  angel 
triumphed.  There  was  too  much  of  elevation,  too 
much  of  purity,  too  much  of  ingenuous  simplicity  and 
sterling  worth  of  character,  hopelessly  to  sink  before 
the  "  evil  spirits'  withering  thrall,"  and  with  a  mournful 
presentiment  of  the  calamities  which  were  impending 
over  his  beloved  Rome,  and  which  he  could  no  longer 


110  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

avert,  he  submitted  with  dignity,  and  without  a  mur- 
mur, to  his  inevitable  fate. 

6.  To  come  down  to  a  later  period :   who  is  not 
familiar  with  the  deplorable  frailty  which  cast  a  deep 
shade  over  the    high  character,   and    imbittered   the 
latter  days  of  that  great  man,  who  was  at  once  the 
pride  and  bulwark  of  the  English  chancery,  and  the 
ornament  of  hurnan  nature  }    With  an  intellectual  ca- 
pacity of  surpassing  breadth,  and  depth,  and  clear- 
ness ;   with  faculties,  capable  of  perceiving  and  ana- 
lyzing, at  a  glance,  the  most  abstruse  and  complicated 
moral  and  metaphysical  problems,  yet  unable  to  resist 
the  insidious  approaches  of  corruption,  and  lending  his 
powerful  mind  to  the  operation  of  the  most  unworthy 
and  degrading  influences ! 

7.  The  gifted  sons  of  genius — they  of  the  "  eagle 
eye  and  tireless  wing,"  who  have  soared  far  beyond 
the  ordinary  flights  of  the  intellect — frequently  afford 
but  too  melancholy  an  illustration  of  this  inconsistency 
of  character  in  the  waywardness  and   perversity  of 
their  career.     We  are  indebted  for  many  of  the  most 
noble,  exalted,  and  pure  strains  of  devotion  and  piety, 
in  "  words,  that  breathe  and  thoughts  that   burn,"  to 
those  whose  lives  were  little  in  accordance  with  the 
elevation  of  their  intellectual  conceptions  and    mani- 
festations.    Notes  of  surpassing  sweetness,  harmony, 
and  power,  have  but  too  often  emanated  from  minds 
where  the  undying  vulture  of  remorse  has  fastened  its 
restless  beak.     Thousands  of  unperverted  hearts  have 
responded  in  raptures  to  the  unearthly  aspirations  and 
sublime  imaginings  of  bards,  who,  at  the  moment,  per- 
haps, were  revelling   in   the  wildest  excesses  of  the 
bacchanalian  feast,  and  whose  high  talents  were  pros- 
tituted at  the  lowest  shrines  of  vice  and  guilt.     The 
glowing   imagery  and  immortal  thoughts,  which   are 
destined   to  stamp  their  indelible  impress  upon  sue- 


^CONSISTENCY    OF    CHARACTER.  Ill 

Ceeding  minds  in  all  coming  time,  are  often,  like  the 
costly  gems  of  the  Indian  sea,  formed  and  matured 
by  the  incessant  irritation  and  diseased  action  of  the 
vital  faculties. 

8.  Nations  and  communities,  as  well  as  individuals, 
furnish  instructive  illustrations  of  this  peculiarity  of 
character.  To  go  no  farther  than  our  own  continent, 
what  strange  infatuation  must  have  taken  possession 
of  the  strong-minded  and  clear-headed  band  of  Pil- 
grims, flying  from  religious  persecution  in  their  native 
land,  when  they  unfurled  the  banner  of  intolerance  in 
that  of  their  adoption,  ere  its  soil  had  been  fairly  re- 
claimed from  its  savage  occupants  ?  For  the  sake  of 
worshipping  the  common  Father  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  their  own  conscience,  and  of  enjoying  their 
religious  creed  free  from  molestation  or  arbitrary  pro- 
scription, they  counted  no  sacrifice  too  great.  The 
disruption  of  all  the  ties  which  connected  them  with 
the  land  of  their  birth  and  the  associations  of  their 
early  years,  the  voluntary  abandonment  of  all  the 
blessings  of  civilization  and  refinement,  of  country  and 
of  home,  for  the  known  perils  of  the  ocean  passage, 
and  the  unknown  dangers,  and  toils,  and  privations  of 
the  wilderness  in  a  far  distant  land, — all  were  over- 
looked and  disregarded  in  view  of  the  promised  bless- 
ings of  civil  and  religious  liberty — a  boon  justly  re- 
garded as  beyond  all  price,  and  for  the  attainment  of 
which  no  exertions  could  be  misapplied.  The  enter- 
prise was,  indeed,  a  noble  one ;  nor  did  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  of  New  England  over-estimate  its  importance 
to  themselves,  to  their  country,  or  to  posterity.  But  it 
is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  these  single-minded  and 
hardy  pioneers  of  the  North  American  forests  should 
have  esteemed  it  necessary,  in  the  prosecution  of  their 
mission  of  civilization  on  the  shores  of  this  new  world, 
thus  early  to  erect  the  standard  of  persecution  for  con- 
science' sake,  and  to  reenkindle  the  fires  of  intoler- 


112  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

ance,  for  the  suppression  of  what  they  too,  in  their 
turn,  deemed  heresy.  Various  apologies  have,  in- 
deed, from  time  to  time,  been  devised  in  their  behalf, 
derived  from  the  peculiar  situation  of  the  infant  colony, 
and  the  uniform  and  prevailing  practice  of  the  age. 
The  phenomenon  is  one,  nevertheless,  so  strongly 
marked,  and  so  wholly  at  variance  with  the  line  of 
conduct  which  ordinary  reasoning  would  seem  to  have 
dictated,  that  it  may  be  enumerated  as  one  of  those 
instances  of  inexplicable  inconsistency  of  character  so 
often  to  be  met  with  in  individuals,  and  from  which 
nations  and  communities  are  by  no  means  exempt. 

9.  "  What  a  piece  of  work  is  man  !  How  noble  in 
reason !  how  infinite  in  faculties !  in  form  and  moving 
how  express  and  admirable !  in  action  how  like  an 
angel !  in  apprehension  how  like  a  God  !  And  yet 
what  is  this  quintessence  of  dust  ?  "  u  With  the  tal- 
ents of  angels,"  men  may,  and  often  do,  "become 
fools ! "  They  press  onward  and  onward  in  their  de- 
luded career,  and  while  blindly  pursuing  the  vain 
phantoms  of  the  world,  plunging  deeper  and  deeper, 
at  every  step,  into  the  gloomy  recesses  of  vice,  they 
yet  bring  their  accustomed  oblation  to  the  altars  of 
virtue,  and  wonder  that  they  hear  not  the  responses 
which  greeted  their  ears  in  the  early  days  of  innocence 
and  peace.  In  their  blindness,  ignorance,  and  fear, 
they  are  tempted,  like  the  warrior  king  of  Israel,  to 
invoke  the  awful  spirit  of  the  buried  past ;  they  desire 
to  look  into  the  impenetrable  future,  to  unveil  the 
records  of  destiny,  and  read  the  hidden  counsels  of 
fate.  The  phantoms  thus  presumptuously  invoked  a 
disordered  imagination  brings  up  in  fearful  array,  and 
they  shrink  in  terror  from  the  withering  rebuke  of 
their  own  awakened  consciences.  Well  will  it  be,  if, 
with  David,  through  tribulation,  and  sorrow,  and  an- 
guish of  mind,  comfort  and  peace  may  at  last  be  at- 
tained ;  satisfied  how  little  is  known  of  the  mysterious 


MORAL  RESPONSIBILITY.  113 

depths  of  the  human  heart ;  how  illusory  and  how  vain 
are  all  the  dreams  of  perfection  here  below ;  how 
transitory  and  fleeting  the  best  resolutions ;  how  con- 
tradictory and  inconsistent  the  moral  and  mental  char- 
acter of  man ;  and  how  deplorable  the  waywardness 
and  perversity  of  conduct  and  action  manifested  under 
the  most  favorable  condition  of  our  nature. 

10.  The  existence  and  the  predominance  of  moral 
and  physical  evil,  in  a  world  where  all  things  else  bear 
the  impress  of  unbounded  and  limitless  benevolence,  is 
a  problem  which  it  is  not  given  to  philosophy  to  solve. 
We  may  speculate  upon  the  deep  mysteries  of  crea- 
tion and  providence  ;    we  may  task  our  intellectual 
powers  to  their  utmost  tension,  in  our  vain  endeavors 
to  analyze  the  elements  and  trace  the  movements  and 
the  laws  which  control  "  this  brave,  o'erhanging  firma- 
ment, this  majestical  roof,  fretted  with  golden  fires  ; " 
and  we  may,  which  is  far  better,  silently,  and  thought- 
fully, and  reverentially,  wonder  arid  adore,  where  we 
may  not  comprehend  ;  but  we  cannot  "  put  forth  our 
hand,  and  take  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge, 
and  eat  and  live  forever,"  until  the  promised  advent  of 

"  that  glorious  day, 
When,  throned  on  Zion's  brow, 
The  LORD  shall  rend  the  veil  away 
That  blinds  the  nations  now." 

11.  The  time  has  been,  and  that  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  our  own  days,  when  the  multiplied  discov- 
eries of  science,  in  the  natural  and  physical  world,  and 
the  researches  and  speculations  of  philosophers  in  the 
world  of  mind,  were  deemed  alike  at  variance  with 
the   paramount   authority   of   revelation,    and   as,   at 
best,  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  presumptuous  and  mis- 
guided men  to  attain  to  the  knowledge  of  that  which 
transcended  the  limited  prerogative  of  humanity.     It 
seems  now,  however,  to  be  conceded   that  true  sci- 

10 


114  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

ence,  whether  physical,  intellectual,  or  moral,  cannot, 
by  any  possibility,  be  at  variance  with  revelation,  in 
any  of  its  forms.  Truth  is  uniformly  and  necessarily 
consistent  with  itself.  While,  therefore,  the  imperative 
dictates  of  sound  philosophy  command  us  to  reject 
any  and  every  hypothesis  of  science,  ethics,  or  morali- 
ty, which  contradicts  the  authentic  testimony  of  reve- 
lation, a  reverential  and  sacred  regard  for  truth  and 
nature  calls  upon  us,  in  an  equally  authoritative  man- 
ner, to  reject  such  an  arbitrary  interpretation  of  the 
latter  as  shall  be  found  unwarranted  by  reason,  obser- 
vation, and  experience,  and  contradictory  to  the  direct 
evidence  of  our  unperverted  senses.  Interpretation, 
only,  is  to  be  subjected  to  this  discriminating  process  ; 
for  an  enlightened  and  attentive  investigation  and  ex- 
amination of  the  respective  claims  of  natural  and  re- 
vealed knowledge  will  show  them  to  be  uniformly  and 
invariably  consistent  and  harmonious  in  every  essential 
requisite.  The  imperishable  tablets  of  the  Christian  faith 
can  never  be  marred  or  dimmed  by  their  contact  with 
true  science,  sound  philosophy,  and  advancing  civiliza- 
tion and  knowledge.  On  the  contrary,  the  law  and  the 
testimony  there  inscribed  by  the  finger  of  Almighty 
Wisdom,  will  become  the  more  legible,  luminous,  and 
clear,  in  proportion  as  they  are  subjected  to  the  tests 
of  an  expanded  and  enlightened  observation,  the  prac- 
tical deductions  slowly  evolved  from  the  experience  of 
ages,  and  the  progressive  discoveries  in  science  and 
the  arts.  They  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  utmost 
advancement  of  human  wisdom  and  improvement ; 
and  it  is  only  when  the  pestilential  miasma  of  passion, 
guilt,  and  crime,  sheds  its  baleful  influence  over  the 
human  intellect,  obscuring  its  perceptions,  blighting  its 
energies,  and  perverting  its  developements,  that  we 
are  called,  upon  to  draw  the  line  of  demarkation  be- 
tween religion  and  science,  reason  and  revelation, 


MORAL    RESPONSIBILITY.  115 

the  God  of  the  Bible  and  the  Author  and  Disposer 
of  nature. 

12.  When  we  look  abroad  upon  the  troubled  ocean 
of  human  life,  and  witness  the  constant  and  restless 
agitation  of  its  surface,  strewn  with  the  melancholy 
wrecks  of  ages, — now  dashing  into  fragments  many 
a  noble  and  stately  bark  freighted  with  the  highest 
hopes  of  nations,  communities,  and  individuals, — and 
now  whelming  under  its  impetuous  and  undiscerning 
billows  the  nameless,  humble,  and  obscure  voyager 
upon  its  trackless  path,  experiencing,  in  its  ceaseless 
commotion,  apparently  no  interval  of  repose,  and  no 
relaxation  of  its  mad  impulses, — we  may  well  ask  our- 
selves what  power,  short  of  Omnipotence,  can  control 
its  excited  and  turbulent  career,  or  say  to  its  rebellious 
fury,  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  farther ;  and 
here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed  !  "  There  is  a 
point  beyond  which  philosophy  cannot  penetrate ; 
where  reason  and  intellect,  and  all  the  faculties  of  the 
human  mind,  are  powerless  and  impotent ;  and  where 
nothing  remains  to  the  loftiest  genius,  in  common  with 
the  humblest  and  most  uninstructed  range  of  thought, 
but  to  wonder,  to  adore,  and  submit.  Even  the  hu- 
man mind — that  most  stupendous  workmanship  of  in- 
finite wisdom — that  emanation  from  the  Divine  es- 
sence— has  its  laws,  which  it  cannot  disobey,  if  it 
would — its  limitations,  which  it  may  not  overoass. 
There  are  mysteries  connected  with  our  existence 
here  which  eternity  alone  can  solve  ;  relations  which 
flesh  and  blood  can  never  penetrate ;  links  which 
earthly  vision  can  never  discover  ;  causes  beyond  the 
cognizance  of  mortality,  and  effects  incapable  of  be- 
ing fully  traced  by  any  intellectual  powers  conferred 
on  mere  humanity.  It  is  idle — it  is  worse  than  idle ; 
it  is  impious — to  indulge  the  vain  fancy  that  any  con- 
ceivable advancement  of  the  race  in  wisdom,  any  pos- 
sible condition  of  society,  or  any  attainable  purifica- 


116  MENTAL  AND  MORAL  CULTURE. 

tion  of  the  grosser  elements  of  our  nature,  can  suffice 
to  perfect  our  knowledge  of  the  moral  government  of 
the  world  in  which  we  live,  or  initiate  us  into  the 
grand  scope  and  ultimate  designs  of  the  Creator,  in 
the  multifarious  and  complicated  labyrinths  of  human 
existence  and  destiny. 

13.  Nor  is  it  in  any  degree  necessary,  for  our  hap- 
piness here  or  our  welfare  hereafter,  that  the  inscruta- 
ble records  of  the  Book  of  Fate  should  be  exposed,  to 
our  view.  It  requires  but  a  brief  experience  to  enable 
us  to  comprehend  the  existence,  and  become  aware, 
in  some  small  degree  at  least,  of  the  influence  of  those 
elementary  laws  of  being  which  circumscribe  us  on 
every  hand  ;  to  learn  that  it  is  only  by  a  general  obe- 
dience to  these  laws  that  we  can  secure  an  exemption 
from  the  most  formidable  evils  which  encompass  us ; 
and  to  be  assured  that,  by  a  systematic  and  habitual 
neglect,  or  a  gross  infraction  of  any  of  these  laws,  we 
incur  a  penalty  proportioned  to  our  departure  from 
their  requirements.  It  is  only  necessary  to  extend, 
and  faithfully  apply,  the  principle  thus  deduced  from 
our  ordinary  experience,  to  enable  us  to  arrive  at  the 
more  important,  but  not  less  obvious  inference,  that  the 
laws  thus  prescribed  are  uniform  in  their  operation, 
invariable  in  their  nature,  unyielding  and  inflexible  in 
their  demands  upon  our  obedience,  and  admitting  of 
no  departure  from  their  requisitions,  however  incon- 
siderable, without  exacting  the  penalty.  But  this  is  a 
conclusion  by  no  means  intuitively,  or  without  diffi- 
culty, attained  in  practice,  under  the  most  auspicious 
and  favorable  circumstances  incident  to  humanity. 
The  records  of  history,  and  the  process  which  passes 
within  our  own  breasts,  as  leaf  after  leaf  of  the  volume 
of  existence  is  unfolded  to  our  perception,  demonstrate 
that  the  lessons  which  bring  with  them  increased  wis- 
dom, increased  knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  in- 
creasing happiness  and  progressive  virtue,  are  slowly 


MORAL    RESPONSIBILITY.  117 

and  painfully  evolved  from  the  shattered  wrecks  of  the 
past,  from  the  consequences  of  manifold  and  long 
aberrations  from  rectitude,  from  incessant  observation 
and  combination  of  the  diversified  elements  of  experi- 
ence, and  from  a  bitter,  but  thorough,  novitiate  in  the 
stern  school  of  adversity  and  suffering.  Of  the  hun- 
dreds of  millions  of  human  beings  whom  each  succes- 
sive generation,  as  it  passes  on,  sends  "  to  take  their 
places  in  the  halls  of  death,"  how  comparatively  few 
is  the  number  of  those  who  have  been  able  to  solve 
the  deep  problem  of  their  own  existence  and  being,  or 
to  ascertain  and  apply  the  unvarying  and  necessary 
connection  between  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  its  Crea- 
tor and  the  enjoyment  of  happiness !  how  vast  the 
number  of  those  who  have  ignorantly  or  presumptu- 
ously, but  constantly,  violated  those  laws,  and  paid  the 
bitter  penalty  in  wretchedness  and  misery,  physical 
and  mental,  protracted  with  occasional  and  evanescent 
intervals  of  comparative  enjoyment  to  the  verge  of  a 
longer  or  shorter  career  ! 

14.  We  are  unwilling  to  concede,  at  least  to  the  ex- 
tent claimed  by  some  severe  moralists  of  every  age, 
the  existence  of  those  moral  and  intellectual  phenome- 
na, which  have  afforded  frequent  and  mournful  themes 
for  the  indignant  reprobation  of  the  wise  and  good  ; 
where  the  path  of  duty  has  been  plainly  apprehended, 
the  guilt  and  the  consequences  of  a  departure  from  it 
clearly  perceived,  and  yet  that  departure  deliberately 
determined  upon,  and  persisted  in,  with  a  full  knowl- 
edge that  happiness  and  peace,  innocency  and  virtue, 
were  irrevocably  renounced.  We  are  disposed  to 
view  the  melancholy  obliquities  of  our  common  na- 
ture in  a  more  favorable  and  charitable  light,  and  to 
attribute  the  lamentable  dereliction  from  its  original 
purity,  which  the  world  has  ever  witnessed,  and  which 
succeeding  ages  will  probably  long  continue  to  wit- 
ness, rather  to  ignorance  of  the  fundamental  laws  of 


118  MENTAL   AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 

being  than  to  a  bold  and  enlightened,  but  most  pre- 
sumptuous defiance  of  those  laws,  with  a  clear  appre- 
hension of  the  inevitable  consequences.  It  cannot  be, 
that  a  reasoning,  intelligent,  and  well-balanced  mind, 
should  voluntarily  choose  to  descend  from  the  proud 
eminence  of  virtuous  innocence  to  the  lowest  depths 
of  profligacy  and  vice  ;  or  that  a  human  being,  en- 
dowed with  the  most  perfect  physical  organization, 
and  painfully  alive  to  the  nicest  sensibilities  of  its  na- 
ture, should  not  only  look  with  indifference  upon  a  life 
of  protracted  suffering,  opening  no  vista  of  hope,  and 
admitting  of  no  alleviation  or  solace  this  side  of  eter- 
nity ;  but  should,  as  the  result  of  his  unbiased  will 
and  free  choice,  link  his  destiny  to  such  a  career  of 
ignominy  and  degradation,  so  withering,  so  hopeless, 
and  so  accursed  by  God  and  man.  It  is  believed  that 
no  one  can  discover,  upon  the  most  faithful  examina- 
tion of  his  own  mental  and  moral  faculties,  any  well- 
founded  conception,  any  feeling  or  emotion  corre- 
sponding to  a  principle  so  revolting  to  humanity,  any 
law  of  his  own  being  from  which  he  can  legitimately 
infer  a  result  so  deplorable.  The  Author  of  our  ex- 
istence has,  indeed,  rendered  such  a  combination 
morally  impossible.  It  would  be  in  palpable  and  di- 
rect opposition  to  all  we  know,  or  can,  upon  rational 
principles,  conceive,  of  Infinite  Benevolence  and  Wis- 
dom, that  seeks  only  the  highest  good  of  all  its  sub- 
jects ;  it  would  present  an  anomaly  in  the  moral 
machinery  of  the  universe, — the  intermingling  of  ele- 
ments, in  one  common  nature,  in  irreconcilable  enmity 
with  each  other,  governed  by  contradictory  laws,  and 
leading  to  the  most  opposite  and  discordant  results. 
That  "  the  heart  of  man  is  deceitful,  above  all  things, 
and  desperately  wicked," — that  its  every  "  imagination 
is  ei't'Z,  and  that  continually,"  the  experience  of  all 
ages,  and  the  solemn  declarations  of  revelation,  coin- 
cide in  establishing  ;  but  we  may  surely  be  indulged 


MORAL    RESPONSIBILITY.  119 

in  the  supposition,  that  the  depravity  and  wickedness 
which  have  uniformly  characterized  mankind,  have  not 
been  of  that  deep  dye  which  fully  comprehended  and 
deliberately  rejected  its  own  highest  happiness,  which 
clearly  discerned  the  inevitable  retributions  of  disobe- 
dience, and  yet  "  rushed  upon  the  thick  bosses  of  the 
buckler"  of  the  avenger.  We  are  aware  that  this  is, 
in  some  measure,  debatable  ground  ;  but  we  are  also 
aware  that  its  boundaries  have  not  been  so  strictly 
defined,  as  to  preclude  us  from  the  effort  to  reclaim 
millions  of  benighted  wanderers  from  the  heavy  impu- 
tation of  apostasy  from  the  pale  of  humanity.  While 
we  cannot  but  lament  the  deplorable  infatuation  which 
has  deprived  the  great  mass  of  our  fellow-men,  in 
every  age,  of  the  natural  heritage  of  happiness,  be- 
stowed upon  them  at  their  birth,  and  condemned  them 
to  misery  and  remorse,  and  the  complicated  ills  of  a 
degenerate  world,  we  rqay,  at  least,  be  permitted  to 
indulge  the  consoling  reflection,  that  this  severe  and 
calamitous  portion  was  not  the  necessary  result  of  a 
nature  altogether  perverted  from  its  original  purity, 
and  wholly  incapable  of  producing  less  bitter  fruits. 
In  our  investigations  into  the  motives,  Conduct,  and 
character  of  our  fellow-men,  it  is  much  wiser,  and  far 
less  dangerous,  to  err  on  the  side  of  charity  and  mer- 
cy, than  their  opposites ;  and  certainly,  if  it  be  our 
aim  to  advance  the  standard  of  intellectual  and  moral 
improvement,  and  to  elevate  the  condition  of  our  spe- 
cies, it  is  equally  unphilosophicaj  and  unjust  to  as- 
sume, in  the  qutset,  that  the  task  is  hopeless  and  im- 
practicable. 

15.  The  conclusion  to  which  these  observations 
tend  is  obvious.  Man  is  susceptible,  in  his  own  proper 
nature,  of  the  highest  intelligence,  virtue,  and  conse- 
quent happiness,  which  was  originally  bestowed  upon 
humanity  by  Creative  Wisdom  and  Benevolence  ;  but, 
by  reason  of  his  peculiar  mental  and  moral  organiza- 


120  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

tion,  adapted  to  progressive  advancement,  but  left 
free  to  work  out  its  own  destiny,  and,  in  consequence 
of  the  powerful  and  constantly  accumulating  evil  in- 
fluences which  surround  him  from  infancy,  he  con- 
tracts, insensibly,  and  at  a  very  early  period,  the  ten- 
dency to  go  astray  from  the  narrow  and  restricted 
path  of  duty.  The  impulse  which  hurries  him  on 
from  one  successive  step  to  another  of  error,  guilt, 
and  retribution,  is  seldom,  if  ever,  the  result  of  his 
own  deliberate  choice  and  unbiased  will,  acting  under 
an  intelligent  and  enlightened  knowledge  of  the  laws 
of  being,  and  of  the  consequences  of  their  infringe- 
ment. He  is  impelled  by  the  operation  of  strong  and 
unchecked  passions,  the  consequences  of  a  neglected 
or  perverted  education,  in  some  of  its  numerous  forms, 
and  from  ignorance,  in  a  great  measure,  of  his  own 
nature,  capacities,  and  destination,  inability  to  with- 
stand temptation,  and  the  presence  and  influence  of  a 
great  variety  of  powerful  external  and  internal  im- 
pulses ;  the  voice  of  reason,  judgment,  and  often  of 
conscience,  is  gradually  and  imperceptibly  stifled  ;  the 
intellectual  functions  transmit  erroneous  information; 
the  moral  faculties  lose  their  ascendency ;  and  the 
empire  of  the  mind  degenerates  into  hopeless  anarchy 
and  inextricable  confusion. 

16.  From  this  view  of  the  subject,  the  immense  in> 
portance  of  an  enlightened  and  extended  system  of 
physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  education,  is  obvious — 
one  by  which,  at  the  earliest  period  when  such  knowl- 
edge can  be  comprehended,  we  may  be  accurately 
informed  of  the  peculiar  constitution  of  our  nature, 
its  powers  and  faculties,  their  modes  of  manifestation, 
and  their  various  operation,  whether  in  accordance 
with  their  own  innate  force,  or  influenced  by  the  ex- 
ternal world  of  matter  or  of  mind.  Upon  this  broad 
and  comprehensive  foundation  a  superstructure  may 
be  reared,  of  solid  and  durable  materials,  fitted  to  re- 


MORAL   RESPONSIBILITY.  ll 

sist  the  incessant  elemental  warfare  of  the  passions, 
and  providing  an  impregnable  rampart  against  every 
hostile  attack.  If  it  be  true,  that  the  great  mass  of 
crime  and  wretchedness,  of  suffering  and  of  woe,  with 
which  earth  is  filled,  may  be  traced,  directly  or  re- 
motely, to  ignorance ;  if  it  be  also  true,  that  all  the 
happiness  and  enjoyment,  of  which  humanity  is  sus- 
ceptible, proceed  from  and  are  the  invariable  and 
necessary  result  of  an  adherence  to  the  laws  impressed 
by  the  Creator  upon  all  the  workmanship  of  his  hands ; 
and  if,  moreover,  such  an  adherence  is  entirely  prac- 
ticable and  attainable,  and  becomes,  instantly,  its  own 
reward,  considerations  of  the  most  solemn  and  mo- 
mentous import,  as  well  to  ourselves  as  to  the  race  to 
which  we  belong,  and  involving  the  welfare  of  the 
present  and  of  future  generations,  impel  us  to  begin 
the  great  work  of  an  education  which  shall  be  com- 
mensurate with  our  high  nature  and  destiny,  and 
which  shall  enable  us  so  to  live  as  to  secure  the  ut- 
most happiness  of  which  our  being  is  susceptible. 

17.  But  we  are  met  upon  the  threshold  of  our  in- 
vestigations into  this  subject  by  a  multiplicity  of  objec- 
tions, founded  upon  its  visionary  and  theoretical  na- 
ture ;  its  want  of  adaptation  to  the  present,  or  any 
reasonably  probable  condition  of  society,  and  its  utter 
impracticability  in  a  world  constituted  as  we  find  ours 
to  be,  and  where  so  much  of  evil  and  so  little  of  good 
prevail.  We  are  told  that  man  is  now,  after  the 
lapse  of  some  sixty  centuries,  the  same,  in  all  essential 
respects,  as  when  the  race  was  first  created  ;  that 
during  the  intermediate  time,  worldly  wisdom,  at  least 
equal  to  any  of  which  the  present  days  can  boast, 
has  illumined  the  moral  and  intellectual  waste  which 
has  ever  existed ;  and  repeated  and  clear  revelations 
from  Heaven  been  communicated  and  disseminated, 
wherever  civilization  had  penetrated ;  and  that  it  is 
11 


122  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

absurd  to  suppose  that  the  heated  imaginations  and 
enthusiastic  dreams  of  a  few  secluded  philosophers 
or  peripatetic  philanthropists  of  the  present  century 
should  have  discovered  the  grand  arcanum,  for  which 
ages  upon  ages  have  so  laboriously  and  fruitlessly 
toiled — the  attainment  of  a  pure  and  unvarying  stand- 
ard of  happiness  and  enjoyment — the  solution  of  the 
deep,  and  hitherto  inexplicable  mystery,  which  hangs 
over  the  troubled  dream  of  life.  Many  of  these  ob- 
jections are  plausible,  at  least,  and  deserving  of  seri- 
ous consideration  ;  others  are  believed  to  be  unfound- 
ed in  their  assumptions,  vague  and  inconclusive  in 
their  deductions,  and  baseless  in  their  conclusions. 
They  must  be  met,  however,  and,  if  possible,  satisfac- 
torily refuted. 

18.  Nothing,  certainly,  can  be  more  erroneous,  or 
less  in  accordance  with  the  truth  of  history,  when  phil- 
osophically regarded  and  thoroughly  analyzed,  than 
the  inference  that  mankind  have  hitherto  made  no 
progress  in  substantial  knowledge,  virtue,  and  happi- 
ness. On  the  contrary,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  in 
exact  proportion  as  civilization  has  extended  itself,  and 
facilities  for  the  ascertainment  and  application  of 
physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  truth  been  afforded, 
the  condition  of  the  race  has  been  sensibly  amelio- 
rated, and  the  happiness  of  individuals  and  the  wel- 
fare of  communities  promoted.  Without  attempting, 
at  this  time,  to  trace  the  rapid  progress  of  science  and 
the  arts,  which  accompanied  the  advancement  of  the 
Greeks,  the  Romans,  the  Egyptians,  and  many  of  the 
nations  of  the  East,  in  even  the  imperfect  civilization 
to  which  they  were  able  to  attain,  during,  compara- 
tively, an  early  period  of  the  world's  history,  or  the 
elevation  and  purification  of  manners  and  morals 
which  distinguished  the  prevalence  of  such  temporary 
periods  of  refinement  and  relaxation  from  bloodshed 
and  civil  and  foreign  war,  as  the  turbulent  ambition  of 


MORAL  RESPONSIBILITY.  123 

the  ruler  permitted,  the  introduction  of  Christianity, 
and  its  immediate  and  resulting  consequences,  furnish 
abundant  materials  for  a  triumphant  refutation  of  the 
objection  under  consideration.  The  rapid  dissemina- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  over  a  great  portion  of  the  civil- 
ized world  laid  the  foundation  for  an  indefinite  pro- 
gression, not  only  in  all  those  refinements  and  graces 
which  communicate  to  society  so  much  of  its  value 
and  usefulness,  but  also  in  all  those  virtues  of  the 
heart  which  make  up  the  sum  of  individual  and  gen- 
eral happiness.  This  progression  has,  indeed,  been 
slow  and  gradual,  often,  for  a  long  succession  of  years, 
and  even  of  centuries,  imperceptible  and  impalpable  ; 
but  although  its  effects  were  not  visible  upon  the  sur- 
face of  society,  and  although  the  precepts  of  Chris- 
tianity were  but  imperfectly  comprehended  at  best, 
and  not  unfrequently  grossly  perverted  to  a  convenient 
and  authoritative  subserviency  to  the  ambition,  the 
interest,  the  profligacy,  and  oppression  of  the  scourges 
of  mankind,  its  influences  were,  nevertheless,  silently 
preparing  the  way  for  the  regeneration  of  the  race. 
The  mighty  tide  of  intellectual,  civil,  and  moral  im- 
provement, which  burst  upon  the  nations  at  the  close 
of  the  fifteenth  and  the  commencement  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  was  the  sudden  and  overpowering  triumph  of 
the  long  repressed,  but  steadily  accumulating  energies 
of  the  human  mind,  expanded  by  the  effectual  work- 
ings of  pure  Christianity  in  the  minds  of  the  multitude 
and  their  leaders  and  guides.  And  who  will  main- 
tain that  the  condition  of  society  and  of  individuals, 
wherever  the  light  of  intellect,  civilization,  and  Chris- 
tianity has  extended,  is  not  now  incalculably  superior, 
in  all  the  elements  which  constitute  scientific  and 
moral  power,  than  when  the  era  of  the  reformation 
dawned,  or  when  its  triumph,  in  the  effectual  prostra- 
tion of  the'"  gods  of  the  old  idolatry  "  was  completed  ? 
If,  then,  from  the  earliest  periods  to  which  history 


124  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

conducts  us,  we  are  enabled  to  trace  a  gradual,  but 
palpable  advancement  in  knowledge,  and  wisdom,  and 
power  ;  if  the  accumulated  stores  of  experience,  the 
ample  and  comprehensive  truths  of  revelation,  the 
constant  observation  of  Nature,  in  her  manifold  forms 
and  combinations,  and  the  successive  and  permanent 
discoveries  of  science  and  of  art,  have  accomplished 
the  great  work  of  communicating  to  man  even  an  in- 
distinct and  imperfect  knowledge  of  his  powers  and 
faculties,  and  have  demonstrated  his  capacity  for,  and 
his  tendency  to,  improvement  and  progression,  the 
argument  based  on  an  opposite  conclusion  falls  to  the 
ground. 

19.  It  is  further  urged  against  the  adoption  of  the 
views  we  have  been  endeavoring  to  expound,  that  it  is 
unreasonable  and  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  great  and 
the  good  of  former  ages,  in  their  unwearied  search  for 
the  elements  of  virtue,  the  secret  of  happiness,  and 
the  keys  of  knowledge,  should  have  overlooked  or  dis- 
regarded principles  so  fundamentally  connected  with 
the  well-being  and  progress  of  the  race.  So  far  as 
this  objection  refers  to  the  great  moral  lessons  sought 
to  be  inculcated,  it  is  wholly  destitute  of  foundation  in 
fact.  In  every  age  of  the  world  a  voice  has  gone 
forth,  from  the  commissioned  oracles  of  the  Almighty, 
proclaiming  the  supremacy  of  the  moral  nature,  an- 
nouncing its  divine  origin,  its  limitless  capacities,  its 
high  responsibility,  and  its  immortality.  The  unvary- 
ing testimony  thus  borne  to  the  truth,  in  all  times,  and 
among  every  people,  remains  unshaken,  either  by  the 
mode  of  its  reception,  or  the  fruit  which  it  has  pro- 
duced. The  good  seed  has  been  abundantly  scattered, 
wherever  humanity  has  existed  to  be  invigorated  by 
its  influences ;  and  if  the  soil,  through  inattention, 
neglect,  or  unenlightened  culture,  has  failed  to  pro- 
duce the  expected  harvest,  that  failure  must  be  at- 
tributed to  its  legitimate  source.  When,  however,  we 


MORAL    RESPONSIBILITY.  125 

Consider  this  objection  with  reference  to  the  progress 
of  scientific  knowledge   generally,  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  we  of  the  present  century  are  in  possession 
of  results  intimately  affecting  our  individual  and  social 
welfare,  which  were  not  only  wholly  unknown  for  a 
long  succession  of  ages,  but  beyond  the  conception  of 
the  wisest  philosophers  and  most  finished  scholars  of 
ancient  times.     Scarcely  four  centuries  have  elapsed 
since  the  discovery  of  the  art  of  printing  and  of  the 
mariner's  compass — events  which   have  exerted  such 
an  immeasurable  influence  on  the  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge and  the  advancement  of  civilization ;  and  in  less 
than  half  that  period  a  complete  and  most  beneficiaf 
revolution  has  been  effected  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
whole  circle  of  arts  and  sciences,  by  the  substitution 
of  the  inductive  philosophy  of  Bacon  for  the   vague 
theories  and  unfounded  generalizations  of  the  masters 
of  the  schools.     The  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
the   laws  by   which  their  magnificent  evolutions  are 
governed,  and  the  relations  which  our  own  planet  sus- 
tains to  the  universe  of  worlds  around  us,  are  of  com- 
paratively recent  discovery.     The  sciences  of  chemis- 
try, mineralogy,  and  geology,  so  intimately  identified 
with  a  rational  knowledge  of  the  powers,  resources, 
and  elements  of  external  nature,  are  as  yet  in  their 
infancy  ;    and  the  relative  influences  of  organic  and 
inorganic  matter,  of  man  and  all  the  vast  machinery 
of  the  material  world  which  surrounds  him,  are  only 
beginning  to  be  comprehended  and  appreciated.    How 
important,  then,  that  our  minds  should  be  ever  open 
to  the  unprejudiced  reception  and  dispassionate  con- 
sideration of  truth,  under  whatsoever  guise  it  may  pre- 
sent i'self,  and  however  much  it  may  conflict  with  our 
preconceived  ideas ! 

20.  Considered  with  reference  to  ourselves  alone, 
the  knowledge  of  our  nature,  and  of  the  immutable 
laws  of  the  Creator  stamped  upon  it,  involves  interests 


126  MENTAL   AND   MOHAL   CULTURE. 

of  the  most  momentous  magnitude.      But  when  we 
consider  the  subject  on  a  more  extended  scale,  and 
with  reference  to  the  whole  family  of  man ;  when  we 
look  forward  to  the  influence  which  an  enlightened 
understanding  of  the  laws  of  intellectual  and   moral 
being  shall  exert,  in  all  coming  time,  upon  the  happi- 
ness and  destiny  of  the  human  race  ;  to  the  elevation 
of  our  common  nature,  which  must  inevitably  follow 
from  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  unperverted  reason 
and  undoubted   revelation;    to  the  high  standard  of 
moral  virtue  and  sound  philosophy,  which  a  consum- 
mation so  grand  and  desirable  cannot  fail  to  induce  ; 
the  achievements  of  intellectual  greatness  and  strength 
for  which  the  past  has  been  distinguished  in  the  annals 
of  science  and  of  history,  will  be  seen  to  bear  no  com- 
parison to  the  vast  and  comparatively  unexplored  field 
which  lies  in  all  its  magnificent  grandeur  before  us. 
What  has  been  accomplished  will  be  regarded  as  the 
elementary  studies  of  the  infancy  of  the  race  ;  the 
preparatory  discipline  and  instruction  which  precedes 
the  work  of  education.     What  remains  to  be  accom- 
plished will  be  looked  upon  as  the  great  and  worthy 
business  of  a  life  which  is  to  experience  no  termina- 
tion ;  a  work  to  be  commenced  here,  but  carried  on 
throughout  the  limitless  ages  of  eternity.     It  is  thus 
that  we  are  to  accomplish  the  gradual  purification  of 
our  nature   from   the    multiplied   corruptions   which 
must  surround   it,  in  its  best  estate,  in  this  present 
world,  and  its  perfection  in  another  state  of  being, 
where  its  energies  will  be  permitted    indefinitely   to 
expand  themselves,  unalloyed  by  the  baser  influences 
to  which  its  earthly  associations  are  constantly  tending. 


PUBLIC    INSTRUCTION.  127 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION. 

1.  THE  great  experiment  of  self-government,  con- 
ceived and  carried  into  execution  by  the  American 
people,  on  the  broad  basis  of  free  institutions,  has  fully 
realized  the  most  ardent  hopes  of  the  friends  of  ration- 
al liberty  in  every  section  of  the  globe.  To  perpetu- 
ate those  institutions  ;  to  carry  out,  in  its  most  ex- 
tended details,  the  grand  scheme  of  republican  free- 
dom ;  and  to  disseminate  throughout  the  vast  borders 
of  our  Union  the  full  enjoyment  of  those  blessings 
which  are  secured  by  our  unequalled  form  of  govern- 
ment, not  only  constitutes  the  duty,  but  should  form 
the  highest  pleasure  and  ambition,  of  every  patriotic 
mind.  That  these  desirable  objects  may  be  fully 
attained,  the  more  general  diffusion  of  knowledge, 
throughout  every  avenue  of  society,  is  indispensably 
requisite.  It  is  not  enough  that  every  citizen  should 
possess  the  rudiments  of  learning,  or  that  amount  of 
instruction  and  information,  merely,  which  will  enable 
him  to  transact  the  ordinary  business  of  life,  for  this 
would  be  to  make  the  great  cause  of  mental  and  moral 
improvement  stationary.  The  requirements  of  the 
age,  the  exalted  position  we  occupy  as  a  nation,  the 
hopes  and  anticipations  we  have  excited,  and  the  rich 
promises  our  past  history  has  given,  alike  forbid  us 
to  repose  upon  the  laurels  we  have  already  acquired, 
or  to  rest  contented  with  the  standard  of  excellence  to 
which  we  have  attained.  We  owe  it  to  those  who 
shall  succeed  us  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  noble  inherit- 
ance bequeathed  to  us  by  the  men  of  the  revolution, 


128  MENTAL  AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

that  the  rich  soil  of  civil  and  intellectual  freedom  shall 
be  cultivated  to  the  extent  of  the  means  in  our  power  ; 
that  the  capabilities  of  the  unfettered  mind  shall  not  be 
retarded  or  obstructed,  in  the  pursuit  of  its  high  desti- 
nies, by  the  withering  influence  of  ignorance,  or  the 
poisonous  exhalations  of  vice. 

2.  The  continued  prosperity  and  onward  career  of 
nations  depend  upon  the  wise  and  proper  use  of  their 
own  energies.  The  seeds  of  their  dissolution  are  in- 
deed within  themselves ;  but  the  fruits  of  anarchy, 
licentiousness,  civil  broils,  and  ultimate  destruction, 
spring  not  up  until  the  soil  is  prepared  by  the  fatuity 
and  mismanagement  of  those  most  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  result.  The  splendid  superstructure  our 
ancestors  have  reared ;  the  unparalleled  prosperity 
which  has  hitherto  attended  the  operations  of  our  civil, 
religious,  and  social  polity  ;  the  mighty  improvements 
which  the  present  century  has  witnessed  in  the  arts 
and  sciences ;  and  the  elevated  position  we  have  been 
enabled  to  occupy  among  the  nations  of  the  world, — 
all  these  commanding  advantages  impose  upon  us  re- 
sponsibilities which  can  be  met  only  by  the  consecra- 
tion of  our  best  faculties  and  unremitted  exertions  to 
the  cause  of  individual  and  national  happiness,  knowl- 
edge, and  improvement.  We  need  not  be  told  of  the 
dangers  which  surround  us,  in  exact  proportion  to  the 
continued  success  of  the  bold  experiment  upon  which 
we  have  ventured.  We  need  not  be  pointed  to  the 
melancholy  examples  which  crowd  the  pages  of  an- 
cient and  modern  history,  to  warn  us  against  the  ener- 
vating influences  of  uninterrupted  prosperity.  Ma- 
terially as  our  institutions  differ,  in  their  essential 
features,  from  those  of  any  preceding  age,  and  striking 
as  may  be  the  contrast  between  the  present  and  the 
past, — in  all  that  concerns  us  most  to  know,  the  consti- 
tution of  human  nature  remains  unchanged  ;  and  the 
admonitions  of  wisdom  and  experience,  and  the  ready 


PUBLIC   INSTRUCTION.  129 

suggestions  of  our  own  minds,  combine  to  teach  us, 
that  on  the  prevalence  of  virtuous  dispositions  and  the 
spread  of  an  intelligent  and  cultivated  public  senti- 
ment, the  great  foundations  of  our  liberties  and  privi- 
leges must  forever  rest.  This  cardinal  truth  cannot 
be  too  often  or  too  forcibly  impressed  upon  our  popu- 
lation. The  very  assent  which  every  reflecting  mind 
gives  to  a  proposition  so  well  understood,  and  so  obvi- 
ously correct,  may  have  a  tendency  insensibly  to 
weaken  its  practical  importance,  and  to  prevent  the 
energetic  adoption  of  those  effective  measures  which 
alone  can  test  our  abiding  sense  of  its  soundness  and 
vitality.  Were  it  even  possible  for  the  complicated 
machinery  of  government  to  go  on,  and  the  fabric  of 
our  institutions  to  be  preserved  against  the  attacks  of 
foreign  or  domestic  enemies  and  the  corroding  effects 
of  time,  without  the  progress  of  knowledge  or  the 
presence  of  an  enlightened  and  uncorrupted  state  of 
morals  and  civilization,  of  what  avail  would  be  the 
barren  pride  of  national  existence  ?  Who  would  prize 
the  beautiful  and  polished  casket,  in  the  absence  of 
the  rich  treasure  it  was  formed  to  enclose  ? 

3.  In  the  progress  of  our  national  history,  we  have 
now  arrived  at  a  point  where  it  becomes  our  impera- 
tive duty  to  pause,  if  need  be,  in  the  career  of  opu- 
lence, and  energy,  and  enterprise,  which  has  hitherto 
marked  our  course,  and  enter  upon  a  new  and  not  less 
delightful  and  useful  field  of  labor  ;  to  exchange  the 
empire  of  matter,  at  least  to  the  extent  to  which  it  has 
heretofore  engrossed  our  attention  and  occupied  our 
time,  for  the  empire  of  mind.  Our  institutions  are 
now  placed,  by  the  wise  and  enlightened  policy  of  the 
successive  statesmen  who  have  graced  the  republic 
from  its  birth,  upon  a  permanent  and  abiding  basis. 
Our  foreign  relations  are  those  of  uninterrupted  peace 
and  amity,  and  no  apprehensions  exist  of  any  impor- 
tant change  in  this  respect  for  the  future.  Our  inter- 


130  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

nal  polity  is  conducted,  in  all  its  extended  details,  with 
perfect  harmony  and  unity,  diffusing  all  the  blessings 
of  a  well-ordered  and  effective  government  through 
the  various  ranks  and  occupations  of  society.  The  cur- 
rent of  our  prosperity  as  a  people,  though  agitated 
occasionally  by  those  fluctuations  incident  to  all  great 
combinations  of  the  elements  of  wealth,  yet  flows  on  in 
a  majestic  and  resistless  tide,  enabling  the  most  un- 
bounded enterprise  to  compass  its  ends,  and  the  most 
inordinate  ambition  for  gain  to  hope  for  the  fulfilment 
of  its  aspirations.  No  more  favorable  opportunity 
could  be  presented  for  the  cultivation  of  those  sub- 
stantial qualities  which  are  to  form  the  basis  of  our 
future  and  permanent  prosperity,  to  direct  the  minds 
and  mould  the  character  of  the  rising  generation,  and 
to  disseminate  far  and  wide  the  seeds  of  those  endur- 
ing virtues,  upon  which  the  character  and  future  pros- 
pects of  our  republic  are  to  depend,  when  the  heads 
and  the  hands  which  now  sway  its  destinies  shall  be 
mouldering  in  the  grave. 

4.  If  we  are  wise,  considerations  of  the  highest  im- 
port will  induce  us  to  watch  over  the  early  develope- 
ments  of  mind  in  those  whose  education  is  committed 
to  our  charge  ;  to  strengthen  those  propensities  which, 
when  matured,  are  to  contribute  to  the  happiness  and 
well-being  of  the  human  race  ;  to  check,  in  their  bud, 
those  dispositions  which,  in  their  growth,  will  cast  a 
dark  shade  over  the  prospects  and  hopes  of  the  future  ; 
to  foster  those  institutions  of  learning  where  all  that  is 
valuable  in  after  life  receives  its  germ  ;  and  to  elevate 
and  purify  the  fountains  of  public  sentiment  from 
which  proceed  those  streams  of  influence,  action,  and 
motive,  which  irrigate  and  fertilize,  or  render  deso- 
late and  barren,  the  extended  field  of  civil  and  social 
intercourse.  We  are  all  of  us  deeply  sensible  that 
upon  the  judicious  cultivation  of  the  intellectual  and 
moral  faculties  of  our  nature,  much,  not  only  of  useful- 


PUBLIC   INSTRUCTION.  131 

ness,  but  of  happiness  and  enjoyment,  depends.  If 
the  mind  is  suffered  to  run  to  waste,  and  the  weeds  of 
vice  .to  spring  up  unchecked  and  undisturbed,  the  or- 
dinary occupations  and  pursuits  of  life,  the  race  of 
ambition,  the  exertions  for  wealth,  the  innumerable 
sources  of  pleasure,  cannot  restore  the  healthful  tone 
of  contentment  and  peace  which  is  forever  lost.  We 
have  it  in  our  power  to  do  much  to  relieve  the  society 
which  is  destined  to  succeed  us  from  the  evils  which 
are  now  experienced.  Whatever  course  we  adopt, 
our  impress  for  good  or  for  evil  must  be  left  upon  the 
characters  and  the  minds  of  those  who  will  follow  us 
on  life's  busy  stage,  and  we  cannot  be  indifferent  to 
the  future,  if  we  would.  We  should  appreciate  cor- 
rectly the  position  which  we  occupy,  and  the  convic- 
tions of  our  judgment  should  assume  a  more  prac- 
tical cast,  and  induce  more  systematic  and  energetic 
efforts  in  the  discharge  of  the  high  duties  incum- 
bent upon  us. 

5.  The  untiring  philanthropic  enterprise  of  the  pres- 
ent age  has  evinced  its  zeal  for  the  more  extended 
and  general  diffusion  of  knowledge,  under  circum- 
stances apparently  the  most  unpropitious  to  its  full 
accomplishment.  In  many  parts  of  Europe,  where 
the  human  mind  has  been  fettered  and  enslaved  for 
centuries  by  the  iron  domination  of  feudal  and  aris- 
tocratic institutions,  the  unaided  energies  of  a  few 
comprehensive  and  benevolent  minds  have  laid  the 
foundations  of  an  enlarged  and  practical  system 
of  moral  and  intellectual  education  upon  the  broad 
basis  of  republican  equality.  In  Prussia,  Switzer- 
land, Scotland,  Holland,  and  more  recently  in  France, 
the  attention  of  government,  as  well  as  of  individuals, 
has  been  drawn  to  the  early  cultivation  of  the  human 
mind,  and  to  the  encouragement  and  liberal  support 
of  institutions  established  for  this  great  purpose.  In- 
dividuals of  commanding  talents  and  undoubted  abili- 


132  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

ties  have  devoted,  in  many  instances,  their  lives  and 
fortunes  to  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the 
human  species,  by  the  judicious  and  expanded  devel- 
opement  of  their  mental,  social,  and  physical  faculties. 
Schools  of  superior-  excellence  and  discipline  have 
been  established  and  maintained  for  a  long  series  of 
years,  and  the  results  of  this  persevering  and  elevated 
system  have  far  surpassed  the  hopes  and  expectations 
of  its  most  devoted  friends.  In  some  instances,  the 
alarm  and  jealousy  of  the  constituted  authorities  have 
been  excited  at  the  rapid  progress  of  sentiments  and 
principles,  whose  ultimate  tendency  they  could  not  fail 
to  perceive  was  unfavorable  to  the  permanency  of  the 
present  order  of  things ;  but  the  public  sentiment  was 
found  to  be  so  strongly  enlisted  in  favor  of  the  contin- 
uance of  a  system  of  instruction  so  admirably  adapted 
to  the  requirements  of  the  age,  that  all  opposition 
proved  unavailing,  and  the  governments  themselves 
gradually  afforded  their  countenance  and  efficient  sup- 
port to  the  animated  efforts  of  the  public  teachers. 

6.  The  institutions  of  the  celebrated  Fellenberg,  in 
Switzerland,  accompanied  by  his  genuine  philanthro- 
py and  devoted  zeal  in  the  cause  of  human  improve- 
ment, contributed,  in  a  very  material  degree,  to  elevate 
the  standard  of  intellectual  instruction.  The  harmoni- 
ous combination  of  all  the  elements  requisite  to  the 
formation  of  a  perfect  character,  in  the  system  admin- 
istered by  that  great  and  good  man,  forms  the  distin- 
guishing characteristic  of  his  comprehensive  plan  of 
education.  The  great  deficiency  which  was  found  lo 
exist  in  the  well-meant  endeavors  of  those  who  ru;d 
preceded  him,  consisted  in  the  partial  and  unequal  cle- 
velopement  of  the  mind  as  well  as  the  body  ;  and  the 
thorough  and  practical  reform  effected  by  the  assidu- 
ous labors  of  Fellenberg  and  his  interesting  family  has 
received  the  approbation  and  sanction  of  the  most  en- 
lightened and  intelligent  in  those  countries  where  its 


PUBLIC    INSTRUCTION.  133 

surpassing  excellence  has  received  the  test  of  experi- 
ment. Perhaps  no  more  genial  soil,  considered  in  all 
the  aspects  which  it  presents  to  a  contemplative  mind, 
could  be  found,  for  the  effectual  maturing  of  all  the 
details  of  a  complete  and  finished  system  of  mental, 
moral,  and  physical  education,  than  the  romantic  and 
peaceful  valleys  of  Switzerland ;  and  the  schools  at 
Hofwyl,  under  the  immediate  superintendence  of  this 
venerable  apostle  of  intellectual  improvement,  were 
long  the  Mecca,  around  whose  shrine  the  friends  of 
education,  throughout  the  civilized  world,  thronged 
to  copy  and  to  admire. 

7.  Prussia  has,  for  several  years  past,  been  emi- 
nently distinguished  for  the  comparative  perfection  to 
which  her  systematic  plans  of  popular  education  have 
been  carried.  This  system  may  be  said  to  have 
originated  in  the  fostering  and  truly  enlightened  policy 
adopted  by  her  illustrious  monarch,  Frederick  William, 
who,  in  this  respect,  truly  and  well  deserved  the  en- 
dearing appellation  of  Father  of  his  country.  Aiming, 
in  an  enlarged  and  comprehensive  spirit  of  philanthro- 
py, to  diffuse  the  blessings  of  education  throughout  the 
broad  extent  of  his  dominions,  he  scattered  institutions 
of  learning,  and  encouraged  their  support  and  main- 
tenance, wherever  the  wants  and  requirements  of  the 
people  seemed  to  demand.  Countenanced  by  an  au- 
thority so  illustrious,  these  institutions  continued  to 
multiply  and  to  expand,  and,  under  the  control  and 
direction  of  governmental  agents  and  enactments, 
form,  at  this  day,  a  leading  portion  of  state  polity, 
under  the  fostering  influence  of  which  the  happiest 
results  may  be  anticipated  in  the  future  character  and 
acquirements  of  a  numerous  people.  A  complete 
revolution  has  already  been  effected  in  the  manners 
and  habits,  the  pursuits  and  prosperity,  of  the  nation ; 
and  although  it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  a  formi- 
dable opposition  should  not  occasionally  be  encoun- 


134        MENTAL  AND  MORAL  CULTURE. 

tered  on  the  part  of  those  "  whose  craft  was  in  dan- 
ger," the  energy  and  firmness  of  the  government,  in 
the  prosecution  of  its  noble  undertaking,  has  hitherto 
risen  superior  to  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  its  suc- 
cess. Education  has  not  only  been  brought  within 
the  reach  and  at  the  command  of  every  family  in  the 
state,  but  its  advantages  have  been  enforced  upon  the 
negligent  and  the  careless  by  a  policy  which  can 
hardly  be  censured  in  a  government  constituted  like 
that  of  Prussia,  however  impracticable  it  might  be 
regarded  under  the  operations  of  free  institutions. 

8.  The  system  of  parochial  schools   in   Scotland, 
with  the  improvements  which  upwards  of  three  cen- 
turies have  gradually  introduced  in  a  country  distin- 
guished, in  many  respects,  for  its  intelligent  and  or- 
derly population,   has   produced   the    most  favorable 
state  of  things,  with  reference  to  the  progress  of  edu- 
cation in  that  interesting  quarter  of  the  globe.  •  The 
high  degree  of  perfection  which  prevails  in  other  por- 
tions of  the  continent  has  not,  indeed,  as  yet,  been  at- 
'tained  ;  but  the  increasing  demand  for  intelligence  and 

knowledge  indicates  the  continued  approach  of  that 
spirit  of  enterprise  and  philanthropy,  which  will  not 
stop  short  of  a  fundamental  reform,  in  all  those  de- 
partments of  knowledge  which  are  susceptible  of  ben- 
eficial improvement. 

9.  In  Wurtemburg,  Baden,  Hesse,  Bavaria,  Silesia, 
and  most  of  the  states  formerly  composing  the  Con- 
federation of  the  Rhine,  the  means  of  education  have 
been  greatly  extended  within  the  past  ten  years.    Amid 
all  the  disturbances  and  agitations  which   have  sur- 
rounded them  at  no  great  distance,  and  under  circum- 
stances the  most  unfavorable  to  the  hopes  and  antici- 
pations of  the  great  body  of  the   people,  they  have 
determined   to   commence   the  work  of  national  and 
individual  reform,    by  disseminating   the   elementary 
principles  of  instruction  throughout  their  borders.    Na- 


PUBLIC    INSTRUCTION.  135 

tional  schools  have  every  where  been  established,  at 
great  expense  and  labor.  Almost  every  parish  and 
hamlet  participates  in  the  benefits  and  advantages  of 
education,  and  a  certain  portion  of  instruction  is  re- 
quired by  law,  while  every  inducement  is  held  out  by 
the  liberal  policy  of  government,  as  well  as  of  indi- 
viduals and  associations,  to  the  attainment  of  an  en- 
larged course  of  learning  and  information.  These 
efforts  have  been  effectually  seconded  by  those  most 
deeply  interested  in  the  result ;  and  a  spirit  extensively 
prevails,  throughout  all  grades  of  society,  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest,  favorable  to  the  most  complete 
and  extensive  developement  of  the  enlarged  views  of 
the  established  authorities. 

10.  In  France  and  Holland,  the  result  of  several 
commissions,  under  the  direction  of  some  of  the  ablest 
friends  of  education,  to  foreign  institutions,  and  partic- 
ularly those  of  Germany  and  Switzerland,  has  induced 
a  more  systematic  and  thorough  organization  of  the 
department  of  public  instruction,  and  elicited  a  deeper 
interest  on  the  part  of  the  great  mass  of  the  people. 
The  advantages  of  education  are  enjoyed  in  a  much 
superior  degree  than  formerly,  and  the  reformation 
already  effected  has  been  most  sensibly  felt  in  its  op- 
erations on  the  morals,  habits,  and  dispositions  of  the 
inhabitants.     Much,  however,  remains  yet  to  be  ac- 
complished, before  France  will  be  able  to  assume  an 
equal  station,  in  this  respect,  with  her  eastern  neigh- 
bors. 

11.  From  a  comparison  of  the  progress  made,  in 
this  respect,  in  the  United  States,  and  particularly  in 
our  own  state,  with  those  nations  where  the  advantages 
of  education  are  most  extensively  in  operation,  we 
have  the  most  abundant  reason  for  self-congratulation. 
Although  but  few,  if  any,  of  our  higher  institutions  of 
learning   have  obtained  the  perfection  which   is  wit- 
nessed in  some  of  the  European  states,  the  means  of 


136  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

intelligence,  derived  from  our  admirable  system  of 
common  school  education,  are  far  more  extensively 
diffused.  Without  the  necessity  of  resorting,  in  any 
degree,  to  compulsory  measures,  the  proportion  of 
those  who  are,  under  that  system,  furnished  with  the 
benefits  of  instruction,  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  to  the  number  within  the  age  ordinarily  allotted 
to  education,  exceeds,  by  far,  that  of  any  other  coun- 
try in  the  world.  The  foundations  of  moral  and  intel- 
lectual improvement  are  sufficiently  broad  and  exten- 
sive, and  could  we  only  so  far  divert  our  minds  from 
the  immense  variety  of  interests  with  which  the  enter- 
prise and  energy  of  the  age  has  surrounded  us,  as 
fully  to  appreciate  the  responsibilities  devolving  upon 
us,  nothing  more  would  be  necessary  to  enable  us  to 
assume  that  commanding  position,  with  reference  to 
the  progress  of  intellect,  which  the  world  expects  at 
our  hands.  Here,  in  this  favored  clime,  in  this  en- 
lightened age,  in  the  midst  of  unexampled  prosperity, 
individually  and  collectively,  and  prompted  by  every 
inducement  which  can  appeal  to  the  noblest  and  best 
feelings  of  our  nature,  we  should  be  wanting  in  duty 
to  ourselves,  to  our  country,  to  posterity,  and  to  the 
world,  if  we  neglected  to  carry,  to  their  utmost  practi- 
cable perfection,  the  theory  and  practice  of  MENTAL, 

MORAL,  SOCIAL,  AND  PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  IN- 
STRUCTION. 

12.  The  spirit  of  the  age  is  essentially  peaceful. 
After  the  experience  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
of  prosperous  quiet  and  repose,  it  would  require  a 
strong  and  powerful  incentive  to  arouse  the  civilized 
nations  of  Europe  and  America  to  the  bloody  arbitra- 
ment of  the  battle-field.  The  assertion  and  mainten- 
ance of  great  fundamental  principles,  a  general  awak- 
ening of  the  nations  of  the  continent  to  the  rapidly 
expanding  idea  of  LIBERTY  and  REPUBLICAN  EQUALI- 
TY, or  some  formidable  combination  of  the  great  pow- 


PUBLIC   INSTRUCTION  137 

ers  against  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  lesser,  may 
indeed,  in  the  progress  of  events,  again  convulse  king- 
doms and  people  with  sanguinary  wars,  and  upturn 
the  ancient  depths  of  governmental  sway.  The  Euro- 
pean world  may,  even  now,  be  on  the  brink  of  such  a 
terrific  volcano.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  signs  and  por- 
tents of  the  times,  in  no  inconsiderable  degree,  indicate 
a  coming  eruption — a  fierce  and  fiery  mingling  of  the 
elements  of  human  passions,  human  suffering,  ven- 
geance, retribution,  and  bloodshed,  out  of  which,  and 
through  which,  though  the  period  may  be  remote  and 
long  postponed,  will  emerge  a  new  and  renovated  sys- 
tem, based  on  the  eternal  laws  of  TRUTH  and  RIGHT. 
However  this  may  be,  the  present,  outwardly  at  least, 
is  peaceful,  and  progressive  in  all  the  arts  of  civiliza- 
tion, in  all  the  refinements  of  science,  in  all  the  bless- 
ings of  education,  moral  virtue,  religious  culture,  social 
happiness,  and  individual  advancement.  A  standard 
has  been  erected,  towards  which  every  thing  seems 
rapidly  tending ;  an  elevated  standard,  which  the  in- 
tellect and  the  heart  have  combined  to  fix ;  a  standard 
not  capable  of  being  reached  in  a  day,  not  in  years, 
perhaps  not  even  in  ages  ;  but  the  very  struggle  for 
the  attainment  of  which  strengthens,  ennobles,  and 
purifies  our  nature,  improves  and  adds  dignity  to  our 
humanity,  and  raises  us  in  the  scale  of  being.  We 
have  already  accomplished  much.  The  schoolmaster 
has  been  abroad,  and  his  footsteps  are  distinctly  visible 
in  the-  sweeping  career  of  enterprise  which  has  char- 
acterized the  century  teow  nearly  half  elapsed,  in  the 
conquest  over  what  were  once  deemed  moral  and 
physical  impossibilities,  in  the  aggregation  and  con- 
centration of  powers  heretofore  widely  diffused,  and 
dormant  in  their  strength,  toward  objects  worthy  of 
their  united  effort,  and  in  the  systematic  and  deter- 
mined exertions  of  individual  and  associated  mind  to 
12 


138  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

root  out  long-established  errors,  destroy  inveterate 
prejudices,  check  the  growth  of  evil  passions,  and  give 
a  new  direction  and  a  new  and  vivid  impetus  to  the 
irresistible  powers  of  the  human  intellect.  Within  the 
last  half  century,  a  new  power  has,  apparently  for 
the  first  time,  been  discovered,  and  is  now  sought  .to 
be  brought  into  action,  and  its  capacities  fully  and 
completely  developed ;  and  this  is  the  power  of  the 
masses.  For  thousands  of  years  the  machinery  of 
society  and  of  government  seems  to  have  rolled  on 
under  the  guidance  of  emperors,  kings,  and  nobles, 
the  wealthy,  the  high-born,  and  the  titled,  without  the 
slightest  recognition  of  man  as  man,  of  the  multitude, 
of  the  people,  except  when  such  recognition  was  forced 
upon  the  hereditary  lords  of  creation  by  the  outbreak 
of  some  irrepressible  burst  of  popular  fury ;  and  then 
the  progress  of  the  anomalous  power  was  watched, 
and  its  final  disappearance  hailed  with  the  same  emo- 
tions with  which  the  transit  of  some  deadly  and  de- 
structive, but  unusual  and  unexpected,  malady  was 
wont  to  be  regarded.  Now,  a  third  estate — not  in 
name  only,  but  in  stern  reality — is  beginning  to  make 
itself  felt  in  the  midst  of  the  old  established  govern- 
ments, with  a  power  which  threatens  its  speedy  and 
certain  elevation  to  the  dignity  of  a  first  estate ;  and 
here,  where  it  is  not  only  the  first,  but  the  sole  es- 
tate, it  has  become  the  effective  material  upon  which 

EDUCATION,  and  SOCIAL,  MORAL,  and  RELIGIOUS  CUL- 
TURE, are  working  out  their  great  lessons  of  mental, 
moral,  and  political  regeneration. 

13.  The  tendency  of  all  this  is,  doubtless,  to  make 
mankind  better,  wiser,  and  happier,  to  extend  and 
widen  the  sphere  of  knowledge,  to  develope  the  in- 
numerable sources  of  individual  and  national  prosperi- 
ty, and  to  distribute  more  equally  the  bounteous  gifts 
of  Providence  to  our  race.  But  there  is  danger  that 


PUBLIC   INSTRUCTION.  139 

the  energies  of  this  newly-discovered  power  may  be 
overtasked  in  the  eager  desire  to  put  forth  its  im- 
mense strength  upon  objects  unattainable  now?,  and  at 
once  ;  or,  if  attainable  in  part,  incapable  of  producing 
the  beneficial  end  which  may  ultimately  reasonably  be 
expected.  There  are  many  great  designs  yet  to  be 
accomplished,  but  which  the  present  generation  can 
only  design  ;  many  a  noble  edifice  is  to  be  erected,  the 
corner  stone,  only,  of  which  can  be  laid  by  the  men  of 
the  present  day.  It  was  enough  for  the  good  king  of 
Israel,  in  ancient  times,  that  "  he  had  it  in  his  heart " 
to  build  a  temple  to  the  Lord  ;  the  execution  of  his 
pious  design  was  left  to  his  successor.  So  with  the 
all-aspiring  spirit  of  philanthropy  and  benevolence 
which  so  strongly  characterizes  the  present  age.  It 
may  be  enough,  in  the  wise  orderings  of  Providence, 
that  it  has  produced  the  grand  and  magnificent  ideas 
of  UNIVERSAL  EDUCATION,  UNIVERSAL  EMANCIPA- 
TION, and  UNIVERSAL  FREEDOM  ;  the  completion  of 
these  great  undertakings  must  be  bequeathed  to  the 
generations  that  shall  succeed  us.  In  the  mean  time, 
we  shall  do  well,  with  the  provident  king  of  the  Jews,  to 
mature  and  perfect  the  conception,  accumulate  and 
gather  together  the  materials  from  every  region  and 
every  shore,  put  in  requisition  the  immense  resources 
of  every  clime,  and,  having  thus  discharged  our  whole 
duty  in  a  spirit  of  conscientious  and  enlightened  obe* 
dience  to  the  dictates  of  sound  wisdom,  leave  to  those 
who  shall  come  after  us  the  responsibilities  of  carrying 
out  our  great  designs,  in  such  a  manner  as  shall  be 
found  most  compatible  with  their  relative  importance. 


140 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

COLLEGES,  ACADEMIES,  AND  COMMON  SCHOOLS. 

1.  THE  higher  institutions  of  learning,  scattered 
throughout  the  United  States,  have  doubtless  exercised 
a  beneficial  effect  upon  the  cause  of  mental  and  moral 
improvement.  It  is,  however,  conceded  on  all  hands, 
that  they  have  not  yet  attained  that  high  standard  of 
excellence  which  the  demands  of  the  age  and  the 
genius  of  our  government  require.  Nor  was  it  to  have 
been  expected,  in  the  unprecedented  rapidity  with 
which  a  nation  of  freemen  have  risen  to  wealth  and 
prosperity,  that  those  substantial  elements  of  greatness, 
which  are  to  cement  its  noble  proportions  in  rts  matu- 
rity and  vigor,  should  have  assumed,  at  once,  the  form 
and  consistence  which  time  alone  can  fully  develope. 
We  have  been  pointed  to  the  colleges  and  universities 
of  the  old  world,  and  asked  to  compare  the  reputation 
and  the  merits  of  our  proudest  seminaries  of  education 
with  those  time-honored  monuments  of  science  and 
the  arts ;  but  have  those  who  would  undervalue  our 
progress  in  this  respect  reflected  upon  the  immense 
disparity,  not  only  in  the  means  and  resources  at  our 
command,  but  in  the  duration  of  our  national  exist- 
ence ?  The  hoarded  wealth  of  an  overgrown  aristoc- 
racy and  the  immense  patronage  of  a  royal  treasury 
have  not  yet  been  poured  into  the  laps  of  our  literary 
institutions,  and  the  axe  of  the  woodman  has  hardly 
ceased  to  resound  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  stately 
edifices  consecrated  to  learning.  The  men  upon 
whom  their  endowments  and  destinies  wholly  depend 
are  the  same  who  have  made  the  wilderness  to  give 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,  AND   COMMON   SCHOOLS.     141 

place  to  the  abodes  of  civilization,  who  have  built  up 
our  cities  and  villages,  and  given  that  irresistible  im- 
pulse to  enterprise  and  industry,  to  agriculture  and 
commerce,  whose  abundant  fruits  are  every  where 
around  us.  What  wonder,  then,  that  we  are  unable 
to  compete  with  the  advantages  and  facilities  afforded 
by  the  ancient  repositories  of  wisdom,  magnificence, 
and  affluence,  which  abound  in  the  cities  of  Europe  ? 
Have  we  not  rather  cause  to  be  astonished  that  our 
citizens  have  been  enabled  to  intersperse  so  much  of 
the  permanent  and  the  lasting  with  the  hastily  con- 
structed establishments  of  a  new  world  and  a  new  or- 
der of  things  ? 

2.  It  is,  moreover,  undoubtedly  true,  as  a  general 
proposition,  that  the  character  and  excellence  of  our 
higher  institutions  must  be  graduated,  in  no  inconsid- 
erable degree,  by  the  standard  and  requirements  of 
the  elementary  schools,  and  the  state  of  public  opin- 
ion. If  these  are  satisfied  with  mediocrity ;  if  the 
great  concerns  of  public  instruction  are  left  to  regulate 
themselves  as  they  best  may ;  if  the  great  mass  of 
community  neither  exhibit  nor  feel  any  peculiar  inter- 
est in  the  progress  of  knowledge,  and  are  contented 
that  the  minds  of  the  young  shall  mature  or  deterio- 
rate, as  circumstances  shall  give  a  bias  to  their  devel- 
opement — it  can  hardly  be  expected  that  a  more  re- 
fined and  elevated  tone  should  be  communicated  to 
the  establishments  which  are  to  prepare  their  inmates 
more  immediately  for  the  active  scenes  and  pursuits 
of  life.  If  the  fountain  is  neglected,  and  suffered  to 
accumulate  impurities,  they  must  necessarily  pervade 
the  course  of  the  stream,  and  we  cannot  reasonably 
anticipate  that  its  waters  should  be  clear  and  transpa- 
rent at  any  advanced  stage  of  their  progress.  The  at- 
tainment of  intellectual  and  moral  strength  is  gradual 
and  regular.  The  mind  does  not  step  at  once  and 
intuitively  from  its  leading-strings  to  maturity  and 


142  MENTAL   AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 

greatness ;  nor  can  it  be  made  to  do  so  by  any  combi- 
nation or  arrangement  of  artificial  means  :  any  neg- 
lect, therefore,  which  it  suffers  in  its  first  advances, 
any  indifference  manifested  to  its  early  struggles  to 
comprehend  the  world  around  it,  and  the  mysteries  of 
creation  and  of  knowledge,  forms  a  serious  and  often 
a  fatal  encumbrance  to  its  subsequent  career,  which  no 
superiority  or  excellence  in  the  opportunities  afforded 
it  for  its  final  preparation  can  adequately  compen- 
sate. There  is  no  peculiar  virtue  in  the  mere  name 
of  a  college  or  university,  which  should  exempt  its  in- 
mates or  its  teachers  from  the  ordinary  operations  of 
well-settled  and  fundamental  principles.  The  same 
amount,  quality,  and  degree  of  learning  which  are  to 
be  found  within  walls  of  high-sounding  titles  and  ex- 
tensive repute  may  be  brought  within  the  legitimate 
range  of  those  institutions  which  are  accessible  to  the 
most  humble  and  straitened  circumstances,  provided, 
only,  such  transition  is  sustained  by  the  general  re- 
quirements and  intelligence. 

3.  In  this  country  our  students  are  prepared,  if  pre- 
pared at  all,  for  their  entrance  into  the  higher  grades 
of  literary  institutions,  by  a  course  of  instruction  in  the 
various  elementary  schools.  This  course  is  often,  from 
a  variety  of  causes,  which  will  hereafter  be  more  par- 
ticularly enumerated,  superficial  in  the  extreme  ;  and 
yet  it  may,  and  does,  in  a  great  majority  of  instances, 
enable  the  student  to  pass  the  formal  and  requisite  ex- 
aminations, preparatory  to  his  admission  to  our  col- 
leges and  universities.  Depending,  as  many  of  these 
do,  principally  for  support  upon  the  number  which  is 
enrolled  on  their  catalogue,  the  avenues  to  their  halls 
are  not  uniformly  guarded  with  the  utmost  strictness, 
and  liberal  allowances  are  made  for  the  diversity 
which  must  necessarily  be  supposed  to  have  prevailed 
in  the  preparatory  discipline  of  the  candidates.  During 
the  whole  term  of  their  collegiate  course,  a  forma) 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,    AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     143 

routine  of  instruction  is  ordinarily  adopted,  which  se- 
verely tasks  the  faculties  of  the  slow-moving  intellect, 
while  it  falls  essentially  short  of  the  genius  and  abil- 
ities of  the  more  ripe  scholar^  The  one  is  condemned 
to  incessant  labor,  in  order  to  sustain  a,  respectable 
standing  among  his  fellow-students,  while  the  other, 
whose  perceptions  are  more  rapid,  whose  genius  is 
better  adapted  to  the  pursuits  of  literature,  or  whose 
opportunities  have  been  more  extensive  or  better  im- 
proved, is  under  the  absolute  necessity  of  spending  a 
large  part  of  his  time  in  listless  idleness  or  desultory 
and  aimless  acquirements.  The  mental  discipline  of 
these  institutions  is,  moreover,  from  the  systematic. ar- 
rangements incident  to  every  department,  and  which 
long  usage  has,  in  some  measure,  sanctioned,  illy 
adapted  to  supply  any  of  those  numerous  deficiencies, 
which  are  so  often  found  to  exist  in  the  previous 
studies  and  attainments  of  their  inmates  ;  and  cases 
are  not  unfrequent,  where  the  possession  of  a  degree, 
or  even  the  enjoyment  of  the  honors  of  a  college,  have 
been  found  not  inconsistent  with  the  most  deplora- 
ble ignorance  and  the  most  superficial  acquirements. 
These  are  errors,  however,  which  time  will  abun- 
dantly correct ;  errors,  in  some  respects,  incidental  to 
all  systems  of  education,  and  peculiarly  so  to  those 
which  have  not  existed  sufficiently  long  to  derive  the 
full  benefits  of  wisdom  and  experience. 

4.  If  we  institute  a  comparison,  in  this  respect,  with 
other  countries,  we  shall  have  no  reason  to  look  upon 
the  progress  we  have  already  attained  in  maturing  the 
details  of  our  system  with  any  feelings  of  dissatisfac- 
tion, or  any  consciousness  of  inferiority.  In  a  great 
majority  of  cases,  no  connecting  link  exists  in  the  in- 
stitutions of  the  old  world  between  the  elementary  or 
popular  schools  and  the  universities  and  colleges. 
Those  who  receive  their  education  in  the  former 
seldom  aspire  to  any  greater  proficiency,  while  those 


144  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CtJLTtmE. 

who,  from  their  birth  or  condition  in  life,  are  expected 
to  move  in  the  higher  circles  of  society,  and  who  do 
not  feel  the  necessity  of  any  exertions  to  secure  the 
continued  enjoyments  of  competency  and  luxury,  are 
prepared  for  their  future  residence  within  the  walls  of 
the  university  by  a  laborious  and  expensive  course  of 
private  and  public  instruction,  adapted  to  their  peculiar 
circumstances  and  requirements.  The  means  at  their 
disposal,  the  leisure  and  the  time  at  their  command, 
the  abundant  opportunities  presented  at  every  step, 
the  vast  accumulation  of  learning  concentrated  in  their 
midst,  and  rendered  valuable  by  the  experience  and 
sanction  of  ages, — all  these  form  a  combination  of  cir- 
cumstances peculiarly  favorable  to  a  complete  devel- 
opement  of  the  mental  energy.  All  its  advantages, 
great  as  they  unquestionably  are,  cannot,  however, 
compensate  for  the  deplorable  inequality  which  is  con- 
stantly felt  to  exist  among  those  whom  the  wisdom  of 
the  Creator  intended  to  share  the  same  general  lot. 
We  should  be  content  to  abide  the  workings  of  time 
upon  the  conceded  defects  of  our  literary  institutions, 
while  every  citizen,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  is 
permitted  to  derive  such  substantial  benefits  as  they 
are  still  enabled  to  afford, — to  suggest,  and  to  assist  in 
carrying  into  practical  operation,  such  improvements  as 
the  intelligence  of  the  age  shall  indicate, — and  to  unite 
in  rearing,  for  the  benefit  of  the  present  and  of  future 
generations,  and  for  the  admiration  of  the  world,  a 
system  of  NATIONAL  EDUCATION  which  shall  be  wor- 
thy of  the  freedom  we  enjoy,  and  equal  to  our  exalted 
position  and  destiny  as  a  people.  While  the  blessings 
of  our  common  schools  are  diffused  with  a  comprehen- 
sive benevolence,  embracing  every  child  of  the  repub- 
lic in  an  enlightened  policy,  let  us  not  reject  the  in- 
estimable boon  because  it  does  not  come  up  to  an 
imaginary  or  real  standard  of  perfection.  While  our 
academies  are  sending  forth,  annually,  intelligent  and 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,    AND    COMMON    SCHOOLS.     145 

cultivated  minds  to  mingle  with  the  great  mass  of  their 
fellow-citizens,  and  to  add  to  the  pervading  influence 
of  intelligence  and  refinement  which  is  rapidly  extend- 
ing over  the  land,  let  us  not  decry  their  value  because 
they  do  not  strictly  conform  to  the  models  of  those 
ancient  republics  or  modern  dynasties  which  we  have 
been  taught  to  respect  and  admire.  Nor  shall  we 
consult  the  dictates  of  true  wisdom  by  instituting  and 
tracing  out,  with,  minute  accuracy  of  detail,  invidious 
comparisons  between  the  higher  departments  of  litera- 
ture and  science  in  our  own  happy  land  and  those  of 
the  old  world,  while  we  can  point  to  the  cabinet  and  to 
the  camp,  to  the  senate  hall  and  to  the  tribunals  of 
justice,  to  the  pulpit  and  to  the  bar,  for  the  proudest 
and  noblest  illustrations  of  what  has  been  already  ef- 
fected, under  the  pressure  of  the  most  discouraging 
circumstances,  by  our  COLLEGES  and  UNIVERSITIES,  in 
the  completion  of  that  work  of  elementary  education, 
the  foundations  of  which  have  been  generally  laid  in 

OUr  COMMON  SCHOOLS. 

5.  The  system  of  COMMON  SCHOOL  EDUCATION,  as 
adopted  and  carried  into  execution  in  several  of  the 
states  of  the  Union,  if  it  has  not  fully  realized  the 
hopes  and  expectations  of  its  enlightened  friends,  has, 
beyond  all  doubt,  contributed,  in  an  essential  degree, 
to  the  intelligence  and  good  order  of  the  community  at 
large.  While  its  organization  and  management  have 
materially  varied  in  the  different  states,  its  general  re- 
sults have  been  nearly  the  same.  Whether  the  sys- 
tem, as  in  Connecticut,  is  provided  for  principally  from 
the  public  treasury,  or,  as  in  the  other  New  England 
states,  by  individual  taxation  chiefly,  or,  as  with  us,  by 
a  judicious  combination  of  these  modes,  instruction  is 
carried,  at  a  very  cheap  rate,  to  the  doors  of  every 
citizen  who  feels  disposed  to  avail  himself  of  the  ad- 
vantages and  blessings  which  it  secures  to  his  children. 
13 


146  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

Whatever  defects  may  have  been  experienced  in  the 
practical  operations  of  a  plan  so  comprehensive  and 
beneficial,  have  arisen  either  from  its  careless  admin- 
istration, or  that  culpable  indifference  to  its  improve- 
ment, which  has  so  generally  prevailed  among  those 
most  deeply  interested  in  its  prosperity,  and  are  in  no 
degree  to  be  attributed  to  a  want  of  energy  or  wisdom 
in  the  system  itself.  To  remedy  these  evils,  it  is  only 
necessary  that  public  sentiment  shoujd  be  brought  to 
bear,  with  its  accustomed  force,  upon  a  topic  so  highly 
important  to  all  our  future  prospects  as  an  enlightened 
and  cultivated  people. 

6.  Unwearied  efforts  have  been  made,  so  far  as  our 
own  state  is  concerned,  to  bring  the  details  of  the  sys- 
tem of  common  school  education  to  the  utmost  attain- 
able perfection.  From  the  organization  of  our  gov- 
ernment to  the  present  time,  our  highest  and  most  dis- 
tinguished public  functionaries  have  made  this  subject 
the  object  of  their  assiduous  and  un remitted  exertions. 
The  interest  thus  manifested  has  resulted  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  system  fully  adapted  to  the  wants  and 
requirements  of  the  people,  worthy  of  the  resources 
and  enterprise  of  the  body  politic,  and  combining,  in 
its  prominent  and  essential  features,  the  intelligence 
and  experience  of  the  age.  A  perpetual  fund,  from 
the  revenues  of  the  state,  has  been  long  consecrated 
exclusively  to  this  high  object,  yielding  an  annual 
interest,  at  the  present  time,  of  about  one  hundred 
and  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  securing  an  annual  dis- 
tribution to  the  several  school  districts  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  thousand  dollars,  which  there  is  no  reason  to 
apprehend  will,  at  any  future  period,  be  diminished. 
The  further  sum  of  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars has  been  appropriated  to  this  purpose  from  the 
share  of  the  surplus  revenue  of  the  United  States  de- 
posited with  this  state,  making  in  all  the  annual  amount 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  In  ad- 


COLLEGES,    ACADEMIES,    AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     147 

dition  to  this  amount,  the  several  counties  are  required 
to  raise,  by  taxation  on  the  inhabitants  of  each  town,  a 
sum  equal  to  that  which  is  received  from  the  public 
treasury.  Many  of  the  counties  are  also  in  possession 
of  handsome  local  funds ;  so  that  an  aggregate  of 
upwards  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  public 
money  may  now  be  annually  relied  upon  by  the  com- 
mon schools  of  the  state,  from  the  beneficent  policy 
and  judicious  administration  of  the  constituted  authori- 
ties. This  appropriation  is  required  to  be  devoted  ex- 
clusively to  the  payment  of  competent  and  approved 
teachers,  and  a  nearly  equal  additional  amount  is  now 
annually  raised,  by  voluntary  taxation  on  the  part  of 
the  several  districts,  to  be  applied  to  the  payment  of 
teachers,  besides  the  incidental  and  necessary  ex- 
penses in  providing  buildings,  furniture,  and  books  for 
the  school,  which  alone  amounts  to  nearly  half  a  mil- 
lion of  dollars,  and  if  the  fees  of  officers  connected 
with  the  administration  of  the  system  are  included, 
greatly  exceeds  that  sum. 

7.  It  will  be  perceived  from  this  statement,  derived 
principally  from  public  documents,  that  the  enlight- 
ened liberality  of  the  state  has  had,  as  yet,  no  tendency 
to  relax  the  exertions  or  diminish  the  interest  of  those 
who  have  been  the  favored  participants  of  its  bounty. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  has, 
thus  far,  imparted  a  stimulus  and  afforded  an  encour- 
agement to  the  several  districts,  which  might  not  oth- 
erwise have  been  attained  ;  and  that  an  additional 
incentive  to  individual  enterprise  has  been  derived 
from  the  cheering  and  animating  influence  which  is 
imparted  by  the  effective  cooperation  of  the  govern- 
mental departments.  The  ability  and  promptness 
evinced  by  the  several  officers  to  whom  the  adminis- 
tration of  this  excellent  system  is  committed,  in  the 
discharge  of  their  various  and  complicated  duties,  tend 
materially  to  promote  its  continued  success,  and  to 


148  MENTAL   AND   MORAL    CULTURE. 

facilitate  its  operations.  A  plan  for  the  general  dif- 
fusion of  knowledge,  less  exceptionable  in  its  promi- 
nent details,  and  more  extensively  beneficial  in  its 
general  results,  could  hardly  have  been  devised,  than 
the  one  so  successfully,  and,  we  would  hope,  perma- 
nently adopted  by  the  citizens  of  this  state. 

8.  But  it  is  of  comparatively  small  importance  how 
excellent  or  how  admirable  may  be  the  external  or- 
ganization and  internal  details  of  a  system  of  educa- 
tion, unless  the  effect  which  it  produces  upon  the  great 
mass  of  those  for  whom  it  is  intended  shall  correspond, 
in  some  degree,  to  the  high  promises  which  its  consti- 
tution indicates.  The  important  objects  intended  to  be 
accomplished  should  never  be  overlooked  by  those 
upon  whose  influence  and  exertions  its  prosperity  and 
ultimate  success  entirely  depend.  The  proper  direc- 
tion of  the  mind,  in  its  earliest  stages  of  advancement ; 
the  harmonious  and  gradual  developement  of  all  its 
powers  and  faculties  ;  the  enlightened  culture  of  the 
moral  as  well  as  physical  nature  ;  the  inculcation  of 
fixed  and  elevated  principles  of  action  ;  in  short,  the 
completion  of  a  solid  and  lasting  foundation  for  future 
improvement  and  excellence  in  every  situation  of  life, — 
these  are  the  essential  results,  without  the  attainment 
of  which  nothing  of  permanent  value  can  be  secured 
from  the  most  laborious  efforts  of  public  or  private  en- 
terprise. It  is  in  vain  that  the  bounty  of  the  state  is 
poured  forth  with  profuse  and  commendable  liberality, 
that  the  efforts  of  legislators  and  statesmen  have  been 
judiciously  directed  to  the  maturing  of  an  enlightened 
and  efficient  system  of  public  instruction,  that  individ- 
ual philanthropy  and  research  spare  no  pains  to  com- 
bine with  our  own  the  varied  excellences  and  im- 
provements of  foreign  climes,  if,  with  all  these  advan- 
tages, we  continue  to  exhibit  an  indifference  to  the 
practical  operations  of  those  elementary  institutions 
from  whence  the  streams  of  knowledge  are  designed 


COLLEGES,    ACADEMIES,    AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     149 

to  be  diffused  throughout  the  land.  It  is  not  enough 
that  our  youth  are  enabled  to  obtain  a  theoretical  ac- 
quaintance with  the  various  branches  of  literature  and 
science,  unless  they  possess  the  capacity  and  the  dis- 
position to  apply  them  to  those  useful  and  practical 
purposes  for  which  they  were  intended.  However 
highly  the  intellectual  powers  may  be  cultivated,  no 
sufficient  guaranty  can  ever  be  afforded,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  early  and  habitual  moral  impressions  and 
principles,  that  they  will  not  be  miserably  perverted, 
and,  instead  of  a  blessing,  prove  a  curse  to  their  pos- 
sessor and  to  mankind.  The  claims  of  society,  the 
great  interests  of  humanity,  the  obligations  of  true 
patriotism,  and  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  individu- 
als, all  concur  in  presenting  the  highest  inducements 
to  render  the  work  of  education,  what  it  is  capable  of 
becoming,  and  what  it  should  be,  the  moral  and  intel- 
lectual renovator  of  our  race. 

9.  The  progress  of  the  age,  in  all  those  great  im- 
provements which  have  a  tendency  to  promote  the 
advance  of  civilization  and  refinement,  indicates  the 
continued  march  of  mind.  A  practical  reform  in  the 
administration  of  our  primary  schools,  effected  by  the 
awakened  and  wholesome  influence  of  public  opinion, 
will  tend,  more  than  any  thing  else,  to  elevate  the 
moral  enterprise  of  the  present  day  far  above  its 
present  standard.  This  undertaking  may  not  present 
itself  in  the  attractive  and  alluring  guise  which  belongs 
to  many  of  those  noble  and  enlightened  projects  which 
have  enlisted  the  energies  and  drawn  forth  the  re- 
sources of  the  learned,  the  great,  and  the  good.  It  may 
be  unostentatious  in  its  pretensions,  and  unambitious  in 
its  character ;  it  may  not  call  to  its  aid  the  ordinary 
interests,  or  the  prevailing  passions  of  the  multitude; 
it  may  not  possess  the  power  to  rally  around  itself  that 
enthusiastic  and  ardent  feeling  which  characterizes 
many  of  the  pursuits  of  philanthropy  and  benevolence. 


150  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

Its  ultimate  aim,  nevertheless,  is  more  lofty,  its  hopes 
and  its  prospects  more  enlivening  and  animating,  its 
destiny  more  sacred,  and  its  aspirations  more  gener- 
ous and  ennobling.  Without  its  promised  benefit  we 
can  derive  no  permanent  and  substantial  improvement 
from  the  inventive  capacity  of  genius  ;  deprived  of  its 
essential  aid,  all  the  blessings  of  social  and  active  life 
will  insensibly  languish  and  decay.  Comprehending, 
as  it  does,  in  its  enlarged  views,  all  that  the  present 
has  of  usefulness  and  enjoyment,  and  all  that  the  future 
presents  of  anticipation  and  hope,  the  time  cannot  be 
distant  when  its  importance  shall  be  fully  realized,  and 
its  high  claims  universally  and  practically  acknowl- 
edged. 

10.  One  of  the  most  serious  defects  in  the  practical 
operations  of  the  common  school  system,  as  it  has 
hitherto  been  administered,  is  the  want  of  competent 
and  experienced  teachers.  There  are,  doubtless,  in 
every  community,  individuals  combining  a  sufficiently 
high  order  of  talents  and  qualifications ;  but  a  false 
idea  of  economy,  and  an  unjustifiable  spirit  of  parsi- 
mony, seem  so  generally  to  have  prevailed  in  our 
school  districts,  that  the  services  of  such  men  cannot 
be  procured  for  the  miserable  compensation  ordinarily 
afforded  to  teachers.  The  early  education  of  our 
youth  is,  consequently,  in  too  many  instances,  com- 
mitted to  the  care  of  the  inexperienced,  the  inefficient, 
and  the  ignorant,  those  who  resort  to  instruction  as  a 
temporary  expedient,  and  who  feel  no  interest  beyond 
that  of  the  moment,  in  the  welfare,  progress,  or  im- 
provement of  their  charge.  When  we  take  into  con- 
sideration the  immense  importance  of  first  impressions 
on  the  human  mind,  the  influence  uniformly  exerted 
by  early  associations,  the  habits  established,  and  the 
principles  inculcated,  upon  which  the  whole  of  future 
life  is  to  be  modelled,  we  cannot  but  be  surprised  at 
the  criminal  apathy  and  indifference  so  frequently 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,   AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     151 

manifested  towards  our  elementary  institutions  of  learn- 
ing. That  the  happiness  or  misery,  the  intelligence  or 
ignorance,  the  virtue  or  the  vice,  of  those  who  look  to 
us  for  the  direction  which  their  existence  is  to  assume 
in  all  coming  time,  should  be  made  to  depend  upon 
mere  questions  of  pecuniary  interest,  is  a  proposition 
which  cannot  fail  to  alarm  the  conscience  and  awaken 
the  sober  conviction  of  every  reflecting  being.  Such 
a  result,  however,  it  is  to  be  apprehended,  must  neces- 
sarily follow  from  a  continuance  in  the  present  system 
of  furnishing  our  schools  with  cheap  teachers.  If  we 
would  command  the  services  of  men  of  cultivated  in- 
tellect, sound  and  established  moral  principles,  and 
liberal  and  enlarged  views,  we  must  present  to  them 
the  ordinary  inducements  for  ambitious  and  energetic 
action ;  we  must  elevate  the  profession  and  business  of 
an  instructor  to  the  grade  of  other  honorable  and  lu- 
crative occupations ;  we  must  encourage  a  noble  and 
well-directed  competition ;  and,  more  than  all,  we  must 
build  up  and  sustain  institutions  expressly  devoted  to 
the  preparation  of  teachers.  Conventions  and  associa- 
tions of  the  friends  of  education  have  already  effected 
much  good  by  the  direct  and  systematic  influence 
which  they  have  exerted  upon  public  opinion  in  this 
and  other  important  respects  ;  and  no  more  beneficial 
measure  could  be  adopted,  if  it  were  deemed  practica- 
ble, than  to  procure,  by  means  of  such  associations  or 
otherwise,  a  general  determination,  on  the  part  of  the 
school  districts,  to  require,  in  all  cases,  the  highest  at- 
tainable qualifications  in  teachers,  and  to  reward  their 
exercise  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  an  increase  of 
talent  and  capacity  in  this  department.  Upon  this 
subject  there  should  be  neither  hesitation  nor  delay. 
Economy  can  be  consulted  to  a  much  greater  degree, 
and  in  a  much  more  effectual  manner,  in  this  mode, 
than  in  the  one  which  now  prevails  to  an  extent  so 
alarming.  The  money  expended,  and  the  time  de- 


152  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

voted,  under  the  system  heretofore  adopted,  is  worse 
than  lost.  When  the  celebrated  founder  of  Pennsyl- 
vania left  his  native  land  for  the  great  enterprise  which 
has  conferred  immortality  upon  his  name,  among  a 
variety  of  economical  directions  which  he  wished  his 
family  to  observe  during  his  absence,  he  impressively 
adds,  in  behalf  of  his  children,  "  Let  their  learning  be 
liberal ;  spare  no  cost,  for  by  such  parsimony  all  is 
lost  that  is  saved.'1''  This  noble  sentiment  is  worthy  of 
being  perpetuated  in  letters  of  gold,  for  the  admiration 
and  instruction  of  every  citizen  of  the  republic.  It 
imbodies  a  principle  which  cannot  be  too  solemnly  in- 
culcated upon  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  American 
people  throughout  all  future  generations. 

11.  Another  essential  requisite  to  the  efficiency  and 
prosperity  of  our  common  school  system  is,  that  a 
deeper  and  more  extended  interest  should  be  felt  in 
their  operations  and  welfare  than  has  heretofore  ex- 
isted. Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  fact  is  neverthe- 
less indisputable,  that,  in  a  great  majority  of  instances, 
parents  seldom  either  visit  or  inquire  into  the  condition, 
prospects,  or  success  of  the  school  at  which  their  chil- 
dren pass  so  great  a  portion  of  their  time,  and  where 
they  are  expected  to  lay  the  foundation  for  their  edu- 
cation and  their  future  character  in  life.  If  the  teacher 
spends  the  usual  number  of  hours  in  the  day,  and  ful- 
fils the  contract  he  has  entered  into  with  the  district,  in 
the  ordinary  manner,  nothing  more  is  required  at  his 
hands ;  aijd  whether  the  minds  of  those  whom  he  has 
undertaken  to  enlighten  remain  stationary,  advance,  or 
recede,  seems  practically  a  matter  of  but  little  mo- 
ment. While  this  indifference  prevails  among  parents, 
can  it  be  expected  that  any  good  results  should  mani- 
fest themselves  in  the  primary  schools  ?  The  strong- 
est incentive  which  can  be  held  out  to  a  deserving 
teacher — the  hope  of  securing  the  approbation  of  those 
for  whom  he  labors,  by  the  fidelity  and  ability  with 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,   AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     153 

which  his  duties  are  performed — is  entirely  wanting  ; 
and  unless  his  benevolence  and  philanthropy  greatly 
exceed  those  of  ordinary  men,  he  will  relapse  into 
that  state  of  carelessness  and  indifference  to  the  busi- 
ness he  is  engaged  in,  so  fatal  to  its  usefulness  and 
success.  It  has  been  observed,  that  this  culpable  feel- 
ing is  seldom  manifested  with  reference  to  the  external 
arrangements  and  internal  polity  of  the  districts  them- 
selves. These  minor  subjects  enlist  the  energies,  and 
not  unfrequently  excite  the  sensibilities,  of  those  con- 
cerned, in  a  very  high  degree.  The  limits  and  the 
form  of  the  territorial  organization,  the  location  of  the 
school-house,  the  divisions  and  annexations  which  may 
from  time  to  time  become  necessary  and  proper,  the 
assessment  and  collection  of  taxes,  the  choice  of  offi- 
cers, and  a  variety  of  incidental  topics,  are  discussed 
with  an  earnestness,  and  occasionally  with  an  acerbity 
of  feeling,  indicating  the  strongest  interest  in  the  re- 
sult. All  this  is  commendable  and  praiseworthy, 
where  it  does  not  degenerate  into  unprofitable  col- 
lisions and  unpleasant  feuds ;  and  no  one  can  regret 
that  these  departments  of  the  district  school  should  be 
vigilantly  guarded,  and  its  welfare  thus  far,  at  least, 
promoted.  But  of  how  much  greater  importance  is  it, 
that  the  fundamental  objects  of  the  system  should  be 
secured  in  the  dissemination  of  intelligence  and  the 
blessings  of  virtue,  good  order,  and  social  improve- 
ment !  "  These  things  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and 
not  to  have  left  the  others  undone." 

12.  The  mode  of  instruction  which  has  heretofore 
prevailed  in  our  common  schools  has,  beyond  all 
doubt,  been  very  objectionable,  both  in  its  matter  and 
its  manner.  The  branches  taught  have  seldom  been 
such  as  were  adapted  to  the  immature  comprehension 
of  the  learner,  at  the  period  when  they  were  required 
to  be  taken  up,  or  which  were  calculated  to  prove  ex- 
tensively and  practically  beneficial  at  any  future  time. 


154  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

Instruction  has  been  communicated,  too  frequently,  ;n 
such  a  manner  as  to  produce  an  invincible  repugnance 
in  the  mind  for  which  it  was  intended,  which  could  not 
prove  otherwise  than  fatal  to  any  subsequent  interest 
or  improvement.  The  intelligence  of  the  present  day 
has,  it  is  believed,  placed  this  branch  of  the  subject 
before  the  public  mind  in  such  a  light  as  to  produce  a 
strong  conviction  of  the  utter  absurdity  and  inutility  of 
the  prevailing  system,  as  well  as  its  deleterious  effects 
upon  the  mental,  moral,  and  physical  capacities  of  our 
youth.  The  method  of  education,  now  gradually  gain- 
ing an  ascendency  in  our  best  institutions,  has  received 
the  sanction  of  the  learned  and  experienced  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  commends  itself  to  the 
judgment  and  intelligence  of  all  who  have  examined 
and  tested  its  intrinsic  merit.  Its  distinguishing  excel- 
lence consists  in  the  harmonious  developement  of  the 
various  faculties  of  our  nature,  so  as  to  produce  the 
greatest  possible  improvement  in  the  most  simple  and 
attractive  manner — adopting,  without  prejudice  or  re- 
serve, all  the  suggestions  which  enlightened  observa- 
tion and  experience  can  furnish,  and  rejecting,  with 
firmness  and  decision,  every  thing  calculated  to  retard 
the  progress,  obstruct  the  intellect,  or  detract  from  the 
interest  of  the  student.  The  complete  substitution  of 
this  method,  with  its  long  train  of  substantial  improve- 
ments, for  the  radical  deficiencies  and  gross  errors  of 
the  antiquated  system,  will  be  recognized  as  the  intro- 
duction of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  education. 

13.  It  has  long  been  apparent  to  every  attentive  ob- 
server, and  is  conceded,  on  all  hands,  that  the  standard 
and  prevailing  modes  of  education,  as  they  have  here- 
tofore existed  among  us,  are  unsuited  to  the  spirit  of 
the  age  and  the  requirements  of  the  human  intellect. 
The  quantity  of  knowledge,  instead  of  its  quality,  has 
been  too  generally  regarded  in  all  our  systems  of  in- 
struction ;  and  we  are  preparing  for  future  action  in 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,   AND    COMMON    SCHOOLS.      155 

life  vast  numbers  of  individuals,  whose  attainments, 
although  perhaps  sufficiently  general  and  extensive, 
must  necessarily  be  superficial.  This  state  of  things 
has  its  origin  as  well  in  the  want  of  interest,  so  alarm- 
ingly apparent  in  the  public  mind  with  reference  to 
this  subject,  as  in  causes  more  immediately  connected 
with  the  administration  of  our  institutions  of  learning. 
The  absence  of  an  efficient  and  well-qualified  body  of 
teachers,  prepared  to  devote  their  time  and  talents  to 
the  energetic  prosecution  of  an  adequate  and  thorough 
course  of  mental,  moral,  and  physical  preparation, 
forms  a  serious  obstacle  to  a  complete  reformation  in 
the  present  defective  methods  of  elementary  instruc- 
tion. Efforts  have  recently  been  made  on  the  part  of 
the  legislature  of  our  own  state,  ably  seconded  by  the 
regents  of  the  university  and  the  principals  of  several 
of  our  academies,  to  establish  and  maintain  seminaries 
for  the  education  of  teachers,  upon  the  principles  of 
the  normal  schools  in  various  parts  of  Europe.  Could 
we  indulge  the  hope  that  this  system  could  be  effectu- 
ally carried  out,  in  accordance  with  the  design  and  in- 
tentions of  its  enlightened  founders  and  patrons,  no 
greater  or  more  valuable  service  could  be  afforded  to 
the  cause  of  education.  But  while  so  little  encourage- 
ment is  held  out  to  the  ambition  of  those  who  are  dis- 
posed to  avail  themselves  of  its  advantages  in  a  man- 
ner calculated  to  fit  them  for  lasting  usefulness,  it  can 
hardly  be  expected  that  the  comprehensive  views  of 
the  legislature  will  immediately  be  realized.  There 
are  so  many  fields  of  labor  around  us,  more  inviting, 
more  profitable,  and  more  permanent,  that  it  requires 
a  more  disinterested  effort  than  we  can  hope  to  wit- 
ness in  this  material  age,  to  sacrifice  present  comfort 
and  future  prospects  to  the  doubtful  allurements  and 
rewards  of  philanthropic  exertion.  All  must  lament 
the  prevalence  of  a  spirit  so  repugnant  to  the  genius 
of  our  institutions,  and  so  paralyzing  to  the  onward 


156  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

progress  of  light  and  knowledge,  and  we  cannot  per- 
mit ourselves  to  doubt  that  it  will  ultimately  give  place 
to  a  higher  and  nobler  feeling.  Entertaining  these 
views,  we  are  accustomed  to  regard  every  indication 
of  a  better  and  more  exalted  tone  of  public  sentiment 
as  favorable  to  the  final  triumph  of  correct  principles 
in  this  respect,  and  to  look  forward,  with  unabated  con- 
fidence, to  the  period  when  teachers  of  youth,  qualified 
for  their  deeply  responsible  vocation  by  years  of  prac- 
tical study  and  observation,  shall  assume  an  equal  sta- 
tion with  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  most  respecta- 
ble as  well  as  lucrative  employments  of  our  country. 
In  the  mean  time,  our  seminaries  of  preparation  will 
have  attained  strength  and  durability,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  experienced  and  efficient  instructors,  and  will 
gradually  and  steadily  commend  themselves  to  the  best 
wishes  of  an  intelligent  population. 

14.  To  those  who  appreciate  the  immense  impor- 
tance of  a  proper  cultivation  of  the  mind,  and  its  influ- 
ence upon  the  destiny  of  individuals  and  the  welfare 
of  society,  it  is  lamentable  to  witness  the  waste  of  time 
and  the  perversion  of  power,  which  are  the  necessary 
results  of  careless  and  defective  methods  of  instruction. 
These  evils  exist  among  us  to  a  degree  which  attentive 
observation  alone  can  fully  estimate.  In  a  very  large 
proportion  of  common  schools  the  moral  culture  of  the 
young  is,  to  say  the  least,  entirely  neglected,  and  those 
principles  of  action  upon  which  the  tendency  of  future 
life  wholly  depends  are  permitted  to  mature  and  ex- 
pand, as  the  varying  circumstances  of  the  hour  may 
dictate.  The  accumulation  of  knowledge,  in  a  con- 
fused, superficial,  and  often  a  forced  manner,  is  the 
result,  perhaps,  of  years  of  wretched  discipline,  under 
the  most  various,  absurd,  and  contradictory  systems. 
The  powers  of  the  memory  are  overtasked  and  abused, 
while  the  perceptive  faculties  remain  unenlightened, 
and  the  reasoning,  judging,  and  discriminating  capaci- 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,   AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     157 

ties  unaffected.  An  early  and  insuperable  aversion  to 
the  pursuits  of  science  is  contracted  by  the  forbidding 
appearances  they  are  made  to  assume.  The  mind, 
naturally  eager  for  information,  and  disposed  to  the 
acquisition  of  new  ideas,  finds  itself  repulsed,  in  its  first 
stages,  by  the  necessity  of  conforming  to  arbitrary 
standards  and  incomprehensible  requirements.  Its  ca- 
pabilities are  crushed  in  the  bud,  its  self-confidence 
destroyed,  its  ambition  checked,  and  its  progress  to 
maturity  fatally  retarded.  All  its  subsequent  advances 
must  necessarily  partake  of  the  weakness  and  debility 
which  have  thus  prematurely  contracted  its  faculties 
and  prevented  the  full  and  harmonious  developcment 
of  its  powers. 

15.  The  valuable  improvements  adopted  by  the  en- 
lightened and  benevolent  founders  of  the  German, 
Swiss,  and  Prussian  schools,  have  already  exerted  a 
vast  influence  on  the  system  of  elementary  instruction, 
both  in  this  country  and  Europe.  Rejecting,  altogeih- 
er,  the  absurd  and  impracticable  views  which  had  ol> 
tained  so  wide  a  predominance,  these  practical  and 
independent  reformers  have  undertaken  to  guide  the 
mind  from  its  earliest  expansion  to  its  more  substantial 
and  lasting  attainments,  by  assisting  it  in  perceiving 
and  understanding  its  own  powers,  and  in  availing  it- 
self with  the  greatest  facility  of  its  own  wonderful  and 
diversified  resources.  It  is  not  left  to  waste  its  active 
energies  in  unprofitable  idleness  and  vacuity  durirg 
those  intervals  in  which  it  is  unengaged  in  the  prose- 
cution of  its  literary  and  scientific  researches.  It 
attains,  early,  and  without  sensible  effort,  the  habit  of 
perceiving,  analyzing,  and  comprehending  the  visible 
objects  of  the  material  universe,  and  of  applying  the 
principles  thus  agreeably  and  naturally  imbibed  to 
their  proper  uses  in  life.  The  foundation  being  thus 
broadly  and  permanently  laid,  the  superstructure  is 
made  to  exhibit  its  easy  and  graceful  proportions,  by 


158  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

an  assiduous  cultivation  of  the  mental  powers,  having 
a  due  regard  to  the  equal  predominance  of  each,  by 
implanting  and  constantly  cherishing  fixed  and  stable 
principles  of  virtue  and  Christian  morality,  and  by  a 
wise  supervision  and  judicious  discipline  of  the  physical 
faculties  of  our  common  nature.  In  this  manner  the 
students  of  those  institutions  pass  their  cheerful  spring- 
time of  existence,  in  thoroughly  preparing  themselves 
for  a  rich  harvest  of  usefulness,  happiness,  and  ex- 
tended benevolence.  Their  acquisitions  are  solid,  sub- 
stantial, and  permanent ;  their  capabilities  for  whatever 
destination  futurity  may  have  in  store  for  them  are 
abundantly  secured  ;  and  when  they  emerge  into  the 
scenes  of  active  life  they  are  effectually  protected,  so 
far  as  human  efforts  can  protect  them,  against  its  in- 
sidious temptations  and  lurking  snares.  They  are 
prepared  to  exert  an  influence  among  their  fellow- 
men  which  shall  be  widely  and  beneficially  felt,  to 
infuse  into  the  bosom  of  society  a  new  and  creative 
energy,  dissipate  the  thick  clouds  of  ignorance  and 
superstition,  check  the  predominance  of  guilty  pas- 
sions, and  elevate  the  pursuits  and  objects  of  all  around 
them.  In  their  turn,  they  give  the  bias  of  their  own 
minds,  and  the  results  of  their  enlightened  researches, 
to  a  new  generation,  and  are  thus  instrumental,  in  an 
eminent  degree,  in  renovating  and  purifying  the  sources 
of  public  opinion,  correcting  public  and  private  morals, 
lessening  the  amount  of  vice  and  misery,  and  contrib- 
uting to  the  cup  of  human  enjoyment. 

16.  From  the  official  returns  made  to  the  superin- 
tendent of  common  schools  of  this  state,  it  appears 
that,  out  of  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  chil- 
dren, between  the  ages  of  five  and  sixteen  years,  re- 
siding in  the  state,  upwards  of  six  hundred  thousand, 
or  twelve  out  of  every  thirteen,  are  under  instruction 
in  the  common  schools.  Of  the  remaining  fifty  thou- 
sand, ten  thousand  are  engaged  in  academical  studies, 


COLLEGES,  ACADEMIES,  AND  COMMON  SCHOOLS.  159 

and  the  residue  are  either  educated  in  private  and 
select  schools,  or  are  entirely  destitute  of  instruction. 
From  the  statements  of  a  distinguished  friend  of  educa- 
tion, recently  made  to  the  public,  derived  from  long 
and  accurate  personal  investigation,  nineteen  out  of 
twenty  of  all  the  children  in  the  Union  are  instructed 
in  the  common  schools.  It  is  in  the  common  schools, 
then,  that  the  great  mass  of  those  who  are  soon  to 
direct  the  interests  and  guide  the  destinies  of  our 
great  and  growing  republic,  receive  those  cardinal  and 
elementary  lessons  of  mental  and  moral  training  which 
are  to  shape  and  govern  their  lives,  form  the  basis  of 
their  individual,  social,  political,  and  religious  charac- 
ter, mould  their  institutions,  and  direct  their  energies. 
What  a  trust  is  here  confided  to  those  who  have  the 
immediate  supervision  of  these  institutions  !  How  mo- 
mentous and  solemn  the  responsibility,  devolved  upon 
parents,  upon  officers  of  school  districts,  upon  all  di- 
rectly or  remotely  connected  with  a  system  involving 
such  vast  results,  and  especially  upon  teachers  !  Let 
us  briefly  consider  its  extent  and  importance. 

17.  And,  first,  what  is  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
education  which  the  enlightened  dictates  of  religious 
and  moral  duty,  the  aspects  and  civilization  of  the  age, 
and  the  character  of  our  institutions,  require  at  our 
hands  ?  Clear,  consistent,  and  accurate  views  on  this 
head  are  indispensable  to  a  comprehensive  and  prac- 
tical system  of  public  instruction ;  and  it  is  to  the  ab- 
sence or  neglect  of  such  views  that  we  may  trace  the 
wide  and  powerful  dominion  of  ignorance  and  error, 
even  while  surrounded  by  intelligence  and  civilization. 
An  ignorance  of  the  fundamental  faculties  of  the 
mind, — their  various  powers  and  susceptibilities, — 
their  modes  of  action,  separately,  and  in  their  infi- 
nitely diversified  combinations, — the  influences,  exter- 
nal and  internal,  which  affect  them, — and  the  innu- 
merable elements  which,  often  imperceptibly,  enter 


160  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

into  and  gradually  constitute  the  character, — a  failure 
duly  to  appreciate  and  rightly  to  comprehend  the  car- 
dinal virtues  of  humanity, — the  obligations  of  con- 
science and  of  duty,  and  the  supremacy  of  the  moral 
nature, — a  mistaken  conception  of  the  spirit  of  the 
age,  and  the  demands  of  the  times, — and  a  perverted 
view  of  the  peculiar  institutions  and  form  of  govern- 
ment under  which  it  is  our  happiness  to  live, — all  and 
each  of  these  exert  a  powerful  influence  in  giving, 
early,  a  false  but  irrevocable  direction  to  the  plastic 
and  expanding  mind  of  youth,  and  are  fraught  with 
consequences  which,  were  we  able  to  trace  them  to 
their  legitimate  results,  we  should  indeed  tremble  to 
contemplate.  The  teacher,  to  whose  care  we  commit 
the  instruction  of  our  children,  is  thereby  vested  with 
a  power  second,  in  importance  and  extent,  to  none 
bestowed  upon  the  human  race — the  power,  namely, 
to  develope,  mould,  and  direct  the  limitless  energies 
of  the  immortal  mind  ;  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  life 
of  happiness  or  misery  to  be  enjoyed  or  suffered  by 
those  who,  in  their  innocence  and  confiding  helpless- 
ness, await  his  lessons ;  to  form  the  future  characters 
of  those  who,  in  a  few  short  years,  are  to  step  forth 
upon  the  broad  arena  of  the  world,  and  mingle  their 
destinies,  for  good  or  for  evil,  with  that  of  their  kind. 
It  is  his  duty  systematically  and  thoroughly  to  prepare 
himself,  both  intellectually  and  morally,  for  the  due 
discharge  of  these  high  responsibilities,  and  to  enter 
upon  the  performance  of  his  great  task,  deeply  im- 
pressed with  a  conviction  of  its  importance,  and  reso- 
lutely determined  to  fulfil  its  obligations  conscien- 
tiously, and  to  the  extent  of  his  abilities.  Above  all, 
he  should  be  penetrated  with  a  profound  reverence 
and  abiding  love  for  humanity,  as  such,  that  he  may 
be  prepared  to  do  justice  to  each  individual  committed 
to  his  charge  ;  to  apprehend  and  appreciate  the  various 
shades  of  character  spread  out  before  him  ;  accurately 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,   AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     161 

to  estimate  (so  to  speak)  the  length,  breadth,  and  depth 
of  the  mental  and  moral  faculties  of  each  of  his  pupils, 
and  intelligently  to  develope  the  powers  of  the  mind 
in  harmonious  accordance  with  its  whole  nature  and 
•  constitution. 

18.  These  requirements  undoubtedly  involve  capaci- 
ties and  gifts  rarely  to  be  found  in  the  present  state 
of  knowledge,  and  demand  minds  deeply  imbued  with 
philosophy,  thoroughly  trained  and  disciplined,  and  ca- 
pable of  communicating  the  results  of  that  discipline, 
in   an  intelligible  manner,  to  others.     It  is,  moreover, 
true  that  the  proportion  of  such  minds,  devoted  to  the 
task  of  elementary  instruction  in  our  common  schools, 
is  lamentably  small,  in  comparison  with  those  of  a 
less  elevated  and  comprehensive  character.     But  all 
excellence  is  progressive ;  and  we  are  called  upon,  by 
every  consideration  of  duty  and  usefulness  to  the  rising 
generation,  to  fix  upon  a  standard  to  which  the  ambi- 
tion and  exertions  of  those  who  would   prepare  them- 
selves for  the  high  calling  of  teachers  of  youth  in  our 
elementary  institutions  may  be  directed.     This  can  be 
effectually  accomplished  only  by  an  enlightened  pub- 
lic sentiment ;  and  to  secure  the  energetic  cooperation 
of  the  great  mass  of  our  fellow-citizens  in  an  object  so 
noble,  it  can  only  be  necessary  to  present  to  them,  in 
a  clear  and  intelligible  manner,  its  paramount  and  vital 
importance  to  all  their  springs  of  happiness,  and  of 
individual  and  social  well-being. 

19.  The  great  end  and  aim  of  all  education  should 
be  to  confer  upon  the  pupil  an  enlightened  knowledge 
of  the  fundamental  laws  and  constitution  of  his  nature, 
and  a  clear  perception  of  his  duties  and  obligations  as 
an  intelligent,  moral,  and  social  being.    He  should  be 
made  to  comprehend,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  for  him  to 
do  so,  his  wonderful  and   mysterious  existence;   the 
great  purposes  for  which   he  was  created;  the  high 

14 


162  MENTAL   AND   MOBAL   CULTURE. 

duties  and  responsibilities  devolved  upon  him  ;  the 
various  physical  and  mental  faculties  which  he  pos- 
sesses ;  their  adaptation  to  each  other,  and  to  the  ex- 
ternal world  of  matter  as  well  as  mind  ;  their  limita- 
tions and  restrictions  ;  their  capacities  for  action  and 
enjoyment ;  the  consequences  resulting  from  their 
proper  and  harmonious  action,  in  the  elevation,  ex- 
pansion, and  happiness  of  his  nature  ;  and  the  inevita- 
ble retributions  and  sufferings  flowing  from  the  dis- 
cordant play  of  the  passions  and  the  violation  of  the 
laws  of  his  being.  He  should  early  be  taught  to 
recognize  the  supremacy  of  the  moral  sentiments,  the 
dictates  of  duty,  the  voice  of  God  within  his  soul ;  and 
that  he  may  rightly  understand  and  intelligently  inter- 
pret the  will  of  his  Creator,  his  intellect  must  be  stored 
with  the  rich  treasures  of  knowledge  ;  his  perceptions 
of  truth  rendered  clear  and  undisturbed  ;  his  faculties 
of  analysis,  discrimination,  comparison,  and  reason, 
kept  in  constant,  regular,  and  healthy  exercise  ;  and 
every  admixture  of  error  carefully  removed.  He  must 
be  taught  to  regard  himself  as  a  portion  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides,  bound  to  consult  its  para- 
mount interests,  to  obey  cheerfully  all  its  laws,  and 
conform  to  its  institutions,  in  so  far  as  they  do  not 
clearly  subvert  the  obligations  of  duty  and  of  con- 
science ;  to  carry  forward  its  civilization,  promote  its 
welfare  and  prosperity,  and  contribute  to  the  happiness 
and  well-being  of  its  citizens.  His  intellectual  and 
moral  faculties  must  be  so  cultivated  and  developed  as 
to  enable  him,  in  the  right  exercise  of  his  judgment 
and  discrimination,  to  arrive  at  just  conclusions  upon 
the  various  questions  of  individual,  social,  or  public 
concernment,  in  relation  to  which  he  may  be  called  to 
act  In  his  researches  into  the  history  of  the  past,  as 
well  as  in  his  investigations  of  the  varying  phenomena 
and  results  of  science  and  the  arts  ;  in  his  study  of  the 
universe,  as  well  of  matter  as  of  mind, — he  should  be 


COLLEGES,  ACADEMIES,  AND   COMMON   SCHOOLS.    163 

enabled  to  proceed  upon  enlarged  and  comprehensive 
principles,  to  separate  the  essential  and  the  permanent 
from  the  transitory  and  the  accidental,  and  to  deduce 
those  conclusions  which  alone  can  strengthen  and  in- 
vigorate the  intellectual  powers,  and  carry  forward  the 
whole  mind  in  its  pursuit  of  truth. 

20.  Let  the  teacher,  then,  ponder  well  the  deep  re- 
sponsibilities which  his  office  involves.     Let  him  reflect 
that  to  him  is  committed  the  direction,  in  a  great  de- 
gree, of  the  future  destinies  of  immortal  beings,  fresh 
from  the  hands  of  their  Creator,  and  entering  upon  a 
career  of  existence  which  is  to  know  no  termination. 
Above  all,  let  him  be  deeply  and  seriously  impressed 
with  the  reflection  that,  during  the  rapidly-fleeting  years 
of  childhood,  the  great  work  of  education  is  going  on 
with  an   impulse   which  cannot  be  restrained  ;   that, 
while  the  body  is  progressing  to  maturity,  the  intel- 
lectual and  moral  faculties  are  constantly  participating 
in  all  the  influences  daily  and  hourly  presented  by  the 
external  world  ;  that  the  wonderful  elements  of  mind 
are  incessantly  engaged  in  the  solution  of  the  great 
problem  of  existence  ;  and  that,  with  or  without  the  in* 
struction  which  it  is  his  duty  to  communicate,  results 
of  infinite  moment  to  the  future  welfare  and  prosperity 
of  the  beings  confided  to  his  care  will  be  attained. 

21.  It  is  to  the  elevation  of  the  character  and  quali- 
fication of  the  teachers  of  our  common  schools  that 
we  are  to  look  for  the  substantial  and  permanent  ad- 
vancement of  the  interests  of  education.     In  the  actual 
condition  and  present  aspect  of  our  free  institutions,  all 
other  means  will  be  found  of  secondary  importance. 
To  this  object, "then,  let  our  chief  exertions  be  directed, 
in  full  confidence  that  public  sentiment  will  abundantly 
sustain,  nay,  imperatively  demand,  the  universal  dif- 
fusion of  a  system  of  public  instruction  emanating  from 
and  under  the  immediate  and  constant  supervision  of 
the  highest  minds  of  the  community.     The  business 


164  MENTAL  AND  MORAL  CULTURE. 

of  instruction  is  of  too  great  importance — is  too  deeply 
and  intimately  connected  with  the  highest  interests  of 
the  race — 'too  closely  allied  to  civilization — to  the  dif- 
fusion and  enlightened  appreciation  of  Christianity — 
to  the  progressive  advancement  and  ultimate  perfection 
of  our  nature — to  be  confided  to  ignorant  or  unskilful 
hands. 

22.  Systems  of  education  will  be  found  almost  in- 
variably to  partake  of  the  character  and  spirit  of  the 
age  by  which  they  are  adopted,  and  to  be  bounded 
by  its  general  attainments.     Public  opinion,  here,  as  on 
every  other  subject,  exerts  a  predominating  influence. 
It  is  impossible  for  men  to  teach  what  they  do  not 
themselves  possess ;  although  they  may  assist  in  the 
proper  developement  of  powers  which  may  enable  the 
learner  to  extend  his  researches  far  beyond  those  of 
the  instructor.     The  work  of  education  may  therefore 
be  properly  conducted  without  direct  reference  to  its 
ultimate  results,  provided  the  instructor  is  capable  of 
communicating  to  the  pupil  an  adequate  knowledge  of 
his  own  powers,  and  of  the  materials  in  the  physical 
and   moral  world  upon  which  they  may  act,  and   by 
which  they  may  be  influenced  ;  and  provided,  also,  he 
gives  a  right  direction  to  the  moral  and  intellectual 
faculties.      The  details  of  science  may,  under  such 
circumstances,  safely  be  left  to  be  mastered  as  inclina- 
tion and  opportunity  may  arise.     There  is  little  danger 
that  such  as  are  necessary  will  be   neglected  ;  while 
much  valuable  time  might  be  saved  which  would  other- 
wise be  unprofitably  spent  in  the  acquisition  of  branches 
which,   however  adapted  to  minds  differently  organ- 
ized, can  neither  be  adequately  appreciated  or  bene- 
ficially employed  by  those  for  whose  benefit  they  are 
specially  intended. 

23.  The    first    great    element    of   education   is   a 
thorough  observation  of  the  material  world  around  us, 
in  all  its  varied  aspects.     This  the  infant  mind  com- 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,    AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.    165 

mences  upon  its  first  consciousness  of  life,  and  continues 
with  constantly  increasing  interest  and  pleasure,  until 
its  faculties  are  sufficiently  strengthened  to  enable  it  to 
reason  and  compare,  and  to  look  in  upon  itself.  At 
this  period,  the  most  important  in  its  results  upon  the 
future,  moral  impressions  begin  to  be  made  ;  at  first 
feeble  and  faint,  but  gradually  more  and  more  perma- 
nent and  durable,  taking  their  hues  from  surrounding 
circumstances  and  associations,  and  imprinting  them- 
selves with  an.  almost  indelible  distinctness  upon  the 
mind.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  parents  and  teachers  do 
not  sufficiently  appreciate  the  immense  interests  which 
their  children  have  at  stake  at  this  critical  period  of 
their  lives.  Keenly  susceptible  of  every  passing 
breath  of  influence  ;  open  to  the  reception  of  every 
precept  and  every  principle  which  may  be  inculcated  ; 
alive  to  the  force  of  every  example  which  is  pre- 
sented to  their  consideration  ;  and  rapidly  assimilating 
their  feelings,  habits,  and  impulses  to  those  with  which 
they  are  brought  into  contact, — their  characters  are 
insensibly  formed,  and  the  long  and  interminable  vista 
of  the  future  moulded  at  the  will  and  pleasure  of  those 
who  direct  the  early  developement  of  their  powers. 
What  a  responsibility  is  here  !  And  what  are  the 
requisites  to  its  faithful  and  conscientious  discharge  ? 
The  suppression  of  every  improper  passion  ;  the  assid- 
uous cultivation  of  every  virtue  ;  the  daily  practice  of 
every  known  duty  j  the  frequent  exhibition  of  all  that 
is  beautiful  in  religion  and  morality  ;  charity  and  for- 
giveness for  the  erring  ;  simplicity  and  humility  in  all 
the  details  of  life  ;  and  a  proper  appreciation  of  the 
busy  world  around  us,  of  the  shifting  scenes  of  light 
and  shade  which  alternate  as  we  pass  through  it,  and 
of  all  the  interests  which  spring  up  and  disappear  in  its 
rapid  progress.  In  other  words,  the  education  which 
it  becomes  our  duty,  under  the  sanction  of  the  most 
fearful  responsibility,  to  bestow  upon  those  who  look  to 


166  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

us  for  the  direction  of  their  future  lives,  and  who  come 
to  us  in  all  the  sinless  purity  and  angelic  innocence  of 
their  nature,  to  learn  their  destiny,  we  cannot  ade- 
quately bestow,  until  we  have  first  thoroughly  purified 
and  renovated  our  own  hearts  and  natures,  and  purged 
from  them  the  dross  which  the  contaminations  of  the 
world  have  engendered.  And  herein  are  we  not 
doubly  blessed,  both  in  giving  and  receiving  ?  How 
beautiful  is  that  adaptation  of  Providence,  which 
appeals  to  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  universal 
principles  of  our  nature — the  deep  interest  which  the 
parent  feels  for  the  future  happiness  and  welfare  of  his 
child, — to  secure  for  him  that  discipline  of  the  whole 
mind  which  shall  fit  him  for  the  proper  discharge  of  all 
the  duties  of  life,  and  for  the  high  and  holy  enjoy- 
ments of  which  that  mind  is  susceptible ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  converts  the  exercise  of  that  very  discipline 
into  the  means  of  elevating  and  purifying  the  hearts 
of  those  from  whom  it  is  required !  And  how  accu- 
mulated the  responsibility  of  those  whom  such  an  in- 
ducement fails  to  reach ;  who,  engrossed  with  the 
business  and  cares,  the  frivolities  arid  passions,  of  life, 
suffer  the  stifling  weeds  of  vice  and  ignorance  to  choke 
the  narrow  path  of  virtue,  and  leave  their  offspring  to 
wander  among  the  crowded  thoroughfares  which  lead 
to  degradation,  wretchedness,  and  misery  ! 

24.  It  must  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  no  educa- 
tion is  worthy  of  the  name  which  does  not,  at  the 
earliest  practicable  period,  confer  upon  the  pupil  the 
power  of  SELF-CULTURE  ;  which  does  not  fully  apprize 
him  of  the  capacities  and  destination  of  his  intellectual 
and  moral  nature,  and  enable  him  to  develope  his 
various  faculties  in  harmony  with  the  constitution  of 
his  being,  and  in  subserviency  to  the  great  end  for 
which  he  was  created.  One  of  the  chief  distinctive 
features  of  humanity,  as  has  heretofore  been  observed, 
is  individual  responsibility,  and  its  prominent  charac- 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,    AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.    167 

teristic,  the  capacity  for  indefinite  progression.  "No 
man  liveth  to  himself  alone," — and,  in  the  exercise  of 
the  daily  and  hourly  duties  of  life,  the  interests  and 
well-being  of  others  are,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent, 
involved.  The  progress  of  civilization  has  immeas- 
urably enlarged  the  sphere  of  individual  exertion,  and 
opened  a  corresponding  field  of  mental  advancement. 
By  repressing  the  more  violent  passions,  the  nobler 
sentiments  of  humanity  have  been  permitted  to  expand, 
and  the  intellectual  powers  have  been  directed  to  the 
accomplishment  of  higher  and  purer  objects.  The 
mind  has  been  gradually  thrown  more  and  more  upon 
its  own  intrinsic  resources;  and  that  ambition,  which 
for  a  long  series  of  centuries  has  striven  for  the  attain- 
ment of  external  power,  wealth,  station,  and  influence, 
at  whatever  cost,  now  discovers  an  ample  and  glorious 
field  for  its  highest  aspirations,  in  the  legitimate  exer- 
cise of  those  intellectual  and  moral  faculties  of  its 
being,  by  which  it  can  secure  the  richest  treasures  of 
the  universe,  and  look  forward  to  an  inexhaustible  field 
of  pleasurable  exertion  constantly  expanding  before 
it.  The  mind,  properly  disciplined  and  directed,  need 
never  go  beyond  itself  for  the  materials  of  greatness, 
power,  and  enjoyment.  It  has  but  to  appreciate  its 
own  capacities,  and  explore  and  develope  its  own  re- 
sources, to  find  its  appropriate  field  of  exertion.  It  has 
but  to  become  fully  sensible  of  its  own  innate  dignity 
and  worth,  its  derivation  from  the  great  source  of  all 
excellence  and  perfection,  its  superiority  to  the  ma- 
terial world  by  which  it  is  surrounded,  and  its  tendency 
to  advancement,  to  shake  off  the  inglorious  bondage 
by  which  it  is  rendered  subservient  to  the  "  beggarly 
elements  "  of  time  and  sense,  and  to  press  onward  to 
that  perfection  which  is  constantly  presented  to  its  view 
in  the  exalted  attributes  of  its  being.  In  the  discharge 
of  the  daily  and  hourly  duties  of  life,  in  acts  of  be- 


168  MENTAL   ANp    MORAL    CULTURE. 

neficcnce  and  kindness,  in  social  intercourse,  in  public 
or  private  employment,  in  the  cultivation  and  discipline 
of  its  own  powers,  and  in  the  diffusion  and  extension 
of  knowledge  and  virtue,  consists  its  true  greatness — 
its  lasting  enjoyment.  This  is  the  end  of  all  educa- 
tion ;  and  it  can  be  accomplished  only  by  and  through 
self-culture. 

25.  The  teacher,  therefore,  who  has  communicated 
to  his  pupils  the  power  of  self-culture,  together  with 
an  enlightened  knowledge  of  the  physical,  intellectual, 
and  moral  constitution  of  their  being  ;  who  has  eradi- 
cated the  vicious  propensities  of  their  nature,  or  ren- 
dered them  subordinate  to  the  eternal  principles  of 
duty,  and  directed  the  expanding  faculties  of  the  mind 
to  their  legitimate  field  of  action, — has  discharged  his 
whole  duty  ;  has  added  to  the  stock  of  human  virtue 
and  human  happiness  ;  has  enlarged  the  boundaries  of 
knowledge,  widened   the    sphere   of  civilization,  and 
elevated  the  standard  of  human  nature.      If  he  has 
failed  to  do  this,  his  ministry  cannot  have  been  other 
than  a  disastrous  one.     If  he  has  educated  the  intellect 
merely, — if  he  has  permitted  the  precocious  weeds  of 
vice  to  spring  up  and  flourish  unchecked,  the  feeble 
and  stinted  growth  of  true  knowledge  in  a  soil  thus  ex- 
hausted   of  its   strength    by  the    nourishment    it    has 
afforded  to  the  poisonous  plants  which  desolate  its  sur- 
face will  soon  be  stifled  ;  while  the  passions  will  have 
been  furnished  with  inexhaustible  means  of  perpetu- 
ating their  fearful  ascendancy  and  extending  their  iron 
dominion.      Better,  far  better,  that  the   mind  should 
remain  in  the  deepest  darkness  of  ignorance,  than  that 
the   lights  of  science  should  shine  upon  it,  only  to 
nourish  and  invigorate  the  noxious  plants  of  vice  and 
crime. 

26.  It  may  with  safety  be  said  that  a  well-regulated 
and  well-directed  PUBLIC  OPINION  is  a  more  efficient 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,    AND    COMMON    SCHOOLS.    169 

agent  in  the  work  of  education  than  all  the  systems  of 
instruction  which  have  been  or  can  be  devised.  If  the 
prevailing  tendency  of  the  age,  and  of  the  community 
in  which  we  live,  be  favorable  to  a  progressive  ad- 
vancement in  wisdom,  and  virtue,  and  knowledge,  as 
the  basis  of  the  only  sound  philosophy  of  human  life 
— as  worthy  of  a  general  concentration  of  all  its  in- 
terests, passions,  and  feelings, — the  mind  and  the  heart 
will  involuntarily  take  that  direction  ;  the  moral  powers 
will  assume  their  proper  preponderance  ;  and  all  the 
various  faculties  of  our  nature  will  harmoniously  coop- 
erate in  their  respective  spheres.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  attainment  of  wealth,  the  pursuit  of  pleasure, 
the  struggle  for  power,  for  distinction,  and  for  worldly 
applause,  are  found  to  be  the  principal  objects  of  am- 
bition, and  to  engross  the  energies  of  the  mass  of  man- 
kind,— the  most  perfect  system  of  education  will  fail  in 
accomplishing  any  permanent  results,  or  in  securing 
any  general  adoption.  It  is  in  vain  to  impress  upon 
the  mind,  amid  the  associations  of  youth,  innocence, 
and  happiness,  the  purest  doctrines  of  the  most  sound 
and  elevated  philosophy,  if,  when  the  hallowed  sanc- 
tuary of  home  is  overpassed,  and  the  delightful  groves 
of  the  academy  left  behind,  the  sober  realities  of  life 
are  discovered  to  be  a  compound  of  interested  selfish- 
ness, unworthy  aspirations,  and  unchastened  ambition, 
while  nobler  views,  nobler  efforts,  and  a  more  exalted 
benevolence,  seldom  find  a  congenial  soil,  where  they 
may  bud,  blossom,  and  expand.  It  is  in  vain  to  expa- 
tiate upon  the  beauty  and  sublimity  of  moral  excel- 
lence, while  the  world's  ready  and  unbounded  applause 
awaits  the  successful  results  of  bold  effrontery,  low 
duplicity,  persevering  cunning,  and  well-dissembled 
craft.  The  highest  order  of  intellect,  even  when  com- 
bined with  the  sternest  moral  and  religious  principles, 
can  rarely  mingle  with  the  base  elements  of  the  busy 
15 


170  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

world,   and   escape   the   deep   contamination   of    the 
contact. 

27.  There  are  few  circumstances  or  conditions  in 
life,  in  which  we  can  render  ourselves  to  any  extent 
practically  independent  of  the  powerful  influences 
which  the  opinion  of  those  around  us,  and  of  the  public 
at  large,  exert  upon  our  conduct.  There  is  a  principle 
deeply  implanted  in  our  nature,  which  compels  us  to 
regulate  even  our  most  trivial  actions,  and  gradually  to 
form  our  character,  and  mould  our  sentiments,  by  the 
standard  which  prevails  in  the  community  to  which  we 
belong.  History  affords  ample  evidence  of  the  pres- 
ence and  the  effects  of  this  all-pervading  power ;  and 
hence  the  formidable  obstacles  which  have,  in  all  ages, 
been  interposed  to  the  progress  of  those  great  reforms 
in  religion,  in  political  economy,  and  moral  philosophy, 
as  well  as  in  scientific  knowledge,  which  from  time  to 
time  have  agitated  and  disturbed  society.  The  minds 
and  actions  of  men  so  insensibly  assimilate  to  each 
other,  and  so  imperceptibly  is  the  power  of  public 
opinion  concentrated  around  the  established  institu- 
tions, modes  of  thinking,  and  ordinary  pursuits,  that 
the  slightest  innovation  upon  the  magic  circle  drawn 
by  habit,  by  custom,  and  by  association,  excites  at  once 
the  astonishment  and  indignation  of  all,  and  places 
the  daring  offender  beyond  the  pale  of  pardon.  It  is 
needless  to  adduce  instances,  abounding  in  the  annals 
of  our  race,  of  the  melancholy  effects  of  this  potent 
influence.  All  of  elevation  to  which  the  morals,  the 
intellect,  and  the  refinement  of  the  present  age  has  at- 
tained, has  been  imparted  to  it  by  the  slow  and  painful 
developement  of  principles  promulgated  in  the  face  of 
danger,  and  often  of  death,  and  maintained  in  the 
midst  of  a  fiery  struggle  against  principalities  and 
powers,  and  a  world  in  arms,  madly  bent  upon  the 
overthrow  of  champions,  of  whom,  indeed,  it  was  not 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,   AND    COMMON    SCHOOLS.     171 

worthy.  We  are  accustomed  to  flatter  ourselves,  in 
these  days  of  greater  enlightenment,  that  a  more  cor- 
rect appreciation  of  the  great  truths  of  the  moral  and 
physical  world,  place  us  at  an  immeasurable  distance 
from  the  erroneous  influences  of  those  ages  of  dark- 
ness and  gloom.  Thanks  to  the  expanding  spirit  of  a 
progressive  civilization,  this  proud  boast  is,  to  a  great 
extent,  borne  out  by  the  evidence  of  facts.  Under  the 
peculiar  and  inestimable  institutions  of  our  own  favored 
land,  the  intellect  and  the  heart  are  indeed  left  free  to 
accomplish  their  brightest  and  noblest  conceptions, 
without  the  apprehension  of  physical  restraint.  But 
these  institutions,  while  they  have  wisely  interposed 
the  most  efficient  checks  to  the  introduction  of  a  per- 
secuting and  an  intolerant  spirit,  have,  at  the  same 
time,  conferred  an  overwhelming  power  upon  public 
opinion.  Before  that  power  the  highest  and  the  lowest 
are  compelled,  by  a  moral  force  which  it  is  in  vain  to 
withstand,  to  bow,  with  an  implicit  deference. 

28.  The  most  formidable  obstacle  to  the  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge,  by  means  of  a  sound  and 
effectual  system  of  public  instruction,  exists,  it  is  to 
be  apprehended,  in  the  indifference  of  the  great  body 
of  the  people  to  this  subject,  when  compared  with  the 
other  important  undertakings  of  the  age.  The  wisdom 
of  our  ancestors  has,  it  is  true,  transmitted  to  us  the 
firm  foundations  of  national  wealth  and  prosperity,  in 
the  admirable  institutions  under  which  we  live  ;  but  it 
remains  for  us  to  erect  upon  this  substantial  base  a 
superstructure  against  which  the  winds  and  the  waves 
of  time  shall  have  no  power.  The  acquisition  of  na- 
tional and  individual  riches  will  not  secure  us  against 
the  fatal  inroads  of  corruption  and  effeminate  lux- 
ury ;  nor  will  the  splendid  monuments  of  inventive 
genius,  or  the  daring  efforts  of  unbounded  enterprise, 
prevent  the  corroding  progress  of  licentiousness  and 
vice.  Those  immense  combinations  of  physical  and 


172  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

mental  power,  which,  in  so  short  a  period,  have  con- 
verted the  pathless  wilderness  of  our  western  world 
into  the  magnificent  and  flourishing  abodes  of  civiliza- 
tion and  refinement,  are  justly  subjects  of  admiration 
and  astonishment.  They  have  opened  new  and  inter- 
minable sources  of  wealth,  and  developed  the  wonder- 
ful resources  of  an  unfettered  nation  of  freemen.  The 
continued  exertion  of  the  intellectual  strength  which 
has  been  in  this  manner  put  forth,  and  its  direction  into 
the  great  channels  of  mental  and  moral  improvement, 
would  advance  us,  with  inconceivable  rapidity,  to  the 
summit  of  attainable  excellence  in  all  that  constitutes 
the  enduring  glory  of  a  people. 

29.  It  is,  however,  too  true,  that  our  exertions  and 
our  ambition  have  been  circumscribed  ,^in  a  great  de- 
gree, within  the  boundaries  of  our  immediate  or  re- 
mote interest,  in  a  pecuniary  view.  The  spirit  of  gain 
has  obtained  too  strong  an  ascendancy  over  us.  The 
tendency  of  this  state  of  things,  if  persisted  in,  however 
we  may  deceive  ourselves  by  present  and  flattering 
appearances,  is  inevitably  downward.  Public  senti- 
ment, unless  it  assumes  a  higher  direction,  will  become 
auxiliary  to  the  ultimate  destruction  of  all  those  re- 
deeming virtues  which  sustain  and  keep  alive  the  fab- 
ric of  our  republican  institutions.  While  the  powerful 
energies  of  our  combined  strength  are  exhausted  in 
the  every-day  pursuits  of  active  life,  and  in  the  strug- 
gle for  wealth  and  its  attendant  advantages,  the  culti- 
vation of  the  mind  is  necessarily  neglected,  the  moral 
and  social  virtues  fall  into  disrepute,  the  bonds  which 
unite  us  as  intellectual  and  accountable  beings  are 
weakened,  the  harmonious  action  of  the  body  politic 
is  deranged,  and  the  chief  blessings  of  life  are  sacri- 
ficed on  the  altars  erected  to  individual  avarice  and 
grasping  gain.  We  may  boast  of  our  institutions  of 
learning,  of  the  liberal  policy  adopted  by  our  govern- 
ments, of  the  perfection  to  which  we  have  carried  the 


COLLEGES,   ACADEMIES,   AND   COMMON    SCHOOLS.     173 

details  of  our  systems  of  instruction,  of  the  sums  which 
we  annually  expend  in  their  support,  and  of  the  inter- 
est taken  in  their  welfare  by  the  great  and  the  good  in 
every  part  of  our  land  ;  unless  we  can  enlist  the  full 
and  effective  cooperation  of  public  sentiment  to  carry 
forward  and  expand  the  great  work  which  has  been 
commenced,  unless  we  can  transfer  to  this  vast  field 
of  labor  the  resistless  energies  and  indomitable  spirit 
which  have  effected  so  much  in  other  departments  of 
enterprise,  we  cannot  hope  to  extend  the  sphere  of 
human  intellect,  to  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  human 
ambition,  to  elevate  the  understanding,  better  the 
heart,  and  amend  the  life.  There  is  enough  of  be- 
nevolence and  of  philanthropy  in  our  land.  The  calls 
of  charity,  from  the  remotest  corners  of  the  globe,  have 
been  heard  and  answered  ;  the  appeals  of  patriotism 
have  not  been  sounded  in  insensible  ears  ;  the  demands 
of  the  Christian  religion  have  been  responded  to, 
wherever  they  have  been  proclaimed  ;  the  sufferings, 
the  errors,  and  even  the  crimes  of  humanity,  have  en- 
listed the  feelings  and  called  forth  the  efforts  of  thou- 
sands to  their  relief.  Whence  is  it,  then,  that  the  early 
cultivation  of  the  intellectual  and  moral  powers  should 
excite  an  interest  comparatively  so  feeble ;  that  the 
progress  of  education  should  be  watched  with  an  in- 
difference so  alarming ;  that  every  effort  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  reform,  in  this  respect,  should  be  paralyzed 
by  the  want  of  that  sustaining  and  invigorating  influ- 
ence which  can  alone  accomplish  great  results  ? 

30.  We  appeal,  then,  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, to  every  individual  of  our  flourishing  and  happy 
land,  who  feels  an  interest  in  its  continued  prosperity, 
who  would  promote  its  substantial  greatness,  who 
would  preserve  its  noble  institutions,  and  transmit  its 
blessings,  unimpaired,  to  future  generations.  We  in- 
voke the  active,  energetic,  and  spirited  exertions  of 
the  friends  of  the  human  race,  wherever  they  are  to 


174  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

be  found ;  of  those  who  rightly  appreciate  the  influ- 
ence of  intellectual  supremacy,  who  would  enlarge  the 
borders  of  reason,  and  extend  its  sway  over  the  mate- 
rial universe.  We  would  enlist  the  strongest  and  best 
feelings  of  the  parent,  the  comprehensive  benevolence 
of  the  philanthropist,  the  proud  ambition  of  the  patriot, 
the  devoted  energy  of  the  statesman,  and  the  most  sin- 
cere ardor  of  the  Christian,  in  an  undertaking  which 
promises  to  multiply  the  blessings  of  the  social  and 
domestic  circle,  widen  the  sphere  of  charity,  cement 
the  strong  foundations  of  government,  strengthen  the 
bonds  of  our  beloved  Union,  and  promote  the  present 
and  future  happiness  of  mankind.  While  we  cheer- 
fully and  gratefully  concede  the  value  of  what  has 
already  been  effected  in  our  own  and  in  foreign  climes, 
we  would  not  stop  here ;  we  would  transfer  the  bur- 
den, which  has  been  so  nobly  assumed  and  borne  by 
the  few,  to  the  shoulders  of  the  many.  Where  the 
highest  and  deepest  interests  of  all  are  concerned,  it  is 
essential  that  every  one  should  fully  and  clearly  appre- 
ciate the  nature  and  extent  of  the  duty  required  at  his 
hands.  To  drag  out  a  few  painful  and  unprofitable 
years  of  existence  in  a  world  crowded  with  misery  is 
but  a  poor  boon.  To  enjoy  the  luxuries  of  life,  and  to 
revel  in  the  wealth  which  is  always  at  the  command 
of  him  who  devotes  to  its  acquisition  his  energies  and 
his  powers,  can  afford  but  an  empty  satisfaction  to  one 
who  duly  reflects  on  the  instability  of  fortune  and  the 
vicissitudes  of  time.  But  to  live  for  the  benefit  of  the 
human  race  ;  to  be  instrumental  in  adding  to  the  cup 
of  human  happiness,  in  diminishing  the  amount  of 
human  wretchedness,  in  diffusing  the  beneficial  influ- 
ences of  a  sound  and  pure  morality,  in  contributing  to 
the  stock  of  valuable  knowledge,  in  bringing  it  home 
to  thousands  who  would  otherwise  never  have  partici- 
pated in  its  blessings,  and  in  elevating  the  affections, 
strengthening  the  virtue,  and  refining  the  character  of 


COLLEGES,   ACABBMIES,   AND   COMMOW   SCHOOLS.     173 

of  our  fellow-beings, — this  is  an  ambition  worthy  of 
our  high  nature.  The  proudest  monuments  of  enter- 
prise and  the  most  finished  specimens  of  the  arts  can- 
not entitle  their  projectors  and  authors  to  the  high 
meed  of  commendation  which  those  deserve  who  are 
thus  prepared  to  overlook  the  perishable  enjoyments 
which  surround  them  for  the  nobler  and  imperishable 
fruits  of  a  comprehensive  and  enlightened  benevolence. 
The  age  in  which  we  live,  with  all  its  vast  and  gigan- 
tic undertakings,  if  destined  to  survive  in  the  remem- 
brance of  posterity  to  all  coming  time,  must  be  distin- 
guished, not  for  the  influence  which  it  has  exerted  on 
material  substances  alone,  or  chiefly,  but  for  that 
which  has  been  brought  to  bear  on  intellect,  on  mor- 
als, on  refinement,  and  civilization.  The  part  we  are 
to  act  in  determining  this  character  rests  with  our- 
selves— its  consequences  with  posterity.  The  respon- 
sibility is  a  fearful  one ;  may  it  be  nobly,  conscien- 
tiously, and  efficiently  met ! 


176  MENTAL   AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

COMMON  SCHOOL  LIBRARIES. 

[The  following  REPORT  on  the  subject  of  COMMON 
SCHOOL  LIBRARIES  was  prepared  during  the  last  fall,  in 
pursuance  of  the  special  direction  of  the  State  Superinten- 
dent of  Common  Schools,  by  HENRY  S.  RANDALL,  Esq. 
Superintendent  of  Common  Schools  of  Cortland  Coun- 
ty. Deeming  it  an  able  and  satisfactory  exposition  of  the 
great  subject  which  it  discusses,  the  Author  of  the  present 
work  applied  for  and  readily  obtained  permission  to  insert 
this  Report,  as  the  concluding  chapter  of  the  present  work. 
The  subject  is  one  which  commends  itself  to  the  best  regards 
of  every  enlightened  friend  of  Popular  Education  ;  and 
the  views  contained  in  the  Report  cannot  fail  of  proving 
acceptable  to  those  who  feel  an  interest  in  the  proper  and 
judicious  disposition  of  the  liberal  fund  annually  appropri- 
ated by  the  State  to  the  diffusion  of  Useful  Knowledge, 
through  the  medium  of  the  eleven  thousand  District  Li- 
braries, scattered  over  its  surface.  If,  by  the  publication  of 
this  report  in  the  present  work,  the  Author  can  succeed  in 
giving  to  it  a  more  general  circulation  than  it  would  pro- 
bably receive  as  an  appendage  to  a  legislative  document, 
he  will  consider  himself  as  having  rendered  an  essential 
service  to  the  interests  of  elementary  education  in  this 
respect. 

It  is  proper  also  to  add,  that  the  views  contained  in  the 
report,  and  the  principles  laid  down  with  reference  to  the 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES. 


proper  selection  of  books  for  the  several  District  Libraries, 
are  fully  endorsed  and  approved  by  the  State  Super^jten- 
dent  of  Common  Schools  in  his  last  annual  report  to  the 
Legislature.] 


THE  page  of  history  furnishes  few  examples  where 
a  government  has  as  well  subserved  the  just  and  pa- 
ternal ends  of  its  creation,  as  did  the  State  of  New- 
York,  in  providing  that  libraries  of  sound  and  useful 
literature  should  be  placed  within  the  reach  of  all  her 
inhabitants,  and  rendered  accessible  to  them  without 
charge.  This  philanthropic  and  admirably  conceiv- 
ed measure  may  be  justly  regarded  as,  next  to  the 
institution  of  common  schools,  the  most  important  in 
that  series  of  causes,  which  will  give  its  distinctive 
character  to  our  civilization  as  a  people.  The  civi- 
lizations of  ancient  and  modern  times  present  a 
marked  distinction.  While  the  former  shot  forth  at 
different  epochs,  with  an  intense  brilliancy,  it  was 
confined  to  the  few  ;  and  the  fame  of  those  few  has 
descended  to  us,  like  the  light  of  occasional  solitary 
stars,  shining  forth  from  surrounding  darkness.  The 
ancient  libraries,  though  rich  in  their  stores  and  vast 
in  extent,  diffused  their  benefits  with  equal  exclu- 
siveness.  The  Egyptian  peasant  who  cultivated  the 
plains  of  the  Nile,  or  the  artizan  who  wrought  in 
her  princely  cities,  was  made  neither  wiser  nor  bet- 
ter by  the  locked  up  treasures  of  the  Alexandrian  ; 
and  though  the  Grecian,  Roman,  and  even  Persian 
commanders  plundered  hostile  nations  of  their  books, 
no  portion  of  their  priceless  wealth  entered  the  a« 
bodes  of  common  humanity,  to  dhfuse  intelligence 
and  joy. 


178  MENTAL   AND   MORAL    CULTURE. 

The  art  of  printing  first  began  to  popularize  civili- 
zation. To  make  it  universal,  however,  it  was  ne- 
cessary that  all  should  be  taught  to  read.  The  Com- 
mon School  supplies  this  link  in  the  chain  of  agen- 
cies. But  another  was  yet  wanting.  Not  only  must 
man  be  taught  to  read,  hut  that  mental  aliment  to 
which  reading  merely  gives  access,  must  be  brought 
within  his  reach  ;  and  it  is  surely  as  wise  and  phi- 
lanthropic, indeed  as  necessary,  on  the  part  of  gov- 
ernment, to  supply  such  moral  and  intellectual  food, 
as  to  give  the  means  of  partaking  of  it,  and  an  appe- 
tite for  its  enjoyment.  Without  the  last  boon,  the 
first  would  be,  in  the  case  of  the  masses,  compara- 
tively useless, — nay,  amidst  the  empty  and  frequent- 
ly worse  than  empty  literature  which  overflows  from 
our  cheap  and  teeming  press,  it  would  oftentimes 
prove  positively  injurious.  In  the  language  of  the 
philosophic  Wayland,  "  we  have  put  it  into  the  pow- 
er of  every  man  to  read,  and  read  he  will  whether 
for  good  or  for  evil.  It  remains  yet  to  be  decided 
whether  what  we  have  already  done  shall  prove  a 
blessing  or  a  curse." 

New-York  has  the  proud  honor  of  being  the  first 
government  in  the  world,  which  has  established  a 
free  library  system  adequate  to  the  wants  and  exi- 
gencies of  her  whole  population.  It  extends  its  ben- 
efits equally  to  all  conditions,  and  in  all  local  situa- 
tions. It  not  only  gives  profitable  employment  to 
the  man  of  leisure,  but  it  passes  the  threshold  of  the 
laborer,  offering  him  amusement  and  instruction  af- 
ter his  daily  toil  is  over,  without  increasing  his  fa- 
tigues or  subtracting  from  his  earnings.  It  is  an  in- 
teresting reflection  that  there  is  no  portion  of  our  ter- 
ritory so  wild  or  remote,  where  man  has  penetrated, 
that  the  library  has  not  peopled  the  wilderness  a- 
round  him,  with  the  good  and  wise  of  this  and  other 
ages,  who  address  to  him  their  silent  monitions,  cul- 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  179 

tivating  and  strengthening  within  him,  even  amidst 
his  rude  pursuits,  the  principles  of  humanity  and 
civilization. 

It  has  been  objected  by  a  few  short  sighted  men, 
to  the  library  system,  that  a  portion  of  the  people  do 
not  reap  any  benefit  from  it,  because  they  will  not 
read  the  books  thus  placed  within  their  reach.  The 
fact  is  unfortunately  true,  but  it  argues  a  defect  else- 
where than  in  the  system.  Among  a  population 
comprising  every  grade  of  education  and  intelli- 
gence, and  of  whom  but  a  limited  number,  compara- 
tively speaking,  enjoyed  opportunities  for  cultivating 
an  early  taste  for  reading,  it  could  not  be  anticipated 
that  all  would  immediately  avail  themselves  of  the 
advantages  thus  proffered  to  them.  The  mind,  like  the 
body,  acquires  regulated  habits  of  action.  If  it  does 
not  learn  early  to  seek  enjoyment  and  instruction  in 
books,  it  rarely  does  in  after  life,  unless  it  be  in 
cases  where  a  strong  natural  taste  for  reading  has 
not,  for  the  want  of  books,  been  able  to  previously 
develope  itself.  And  although  the  steadily  advanc- 
ing circulation  of  the  libraries  shows  that  much  has 
been  and  will  yet  be  gained  among  our  adult  pop- 
ulation, it  is  to  the  rising  generation  mainly,  that  we 
must  look  for  the  theatre  of  their  greatest  triumphs. 
In  the  rising  generation  the  taste  for  reading  must 
be  formed.  But  conceding  there  should  always  be 
a  portion  who  should  obstinately  reject  these  ad- 
vantages, —  does  this  furnish  a  sufficient  reason 
why  they  should  be  withheld  from  those  whose 
tastes  and  aspirations  are  more  elevated,  whose  thirst 
for  knowledge  is  stronger  ?  Should  but  a  small 
portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  any  school  district  be 
made  wiser  and  happier,  nay,  should  one  young 
mind  be  trained  forward  by  this  means  to  a  career 
of  usefulness  and  honor,  would  not  the  expense  of 
the  most  extensive  library  be  more  than  compensa- 


180  KINTAL   AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 

ted  for  ?  How  many  "  mute  inglorious  "  sons  of 
Genius  have  first  felt  within  them  the  kindling  of 
Promethean  fires  ;  how  many  great  undertakings, 
important  discoveries,  and  sublime  achievements  have 
first  shadowed  forth  the  dim  outlines  of  their  inception 
on  the  mental  speculum,  upon  the  perusal  of  the  wri- 
tings of  some  preceding  wayfarer  in  the  same,  or 
some  kindred  path  of  renown,  the  biographies  of  il- 
lustrious men  fully  attest.  We  have  it  on  his  own 
authority  that  the  reading  of  Defoe's  Essay  on 
Projects,  first  planted  in  the  mighty  mind  of  Frank- 
lin the  germ  of  those  discoveries,  by  which,  in  the 
language  of  Bishop  Doane,  "  the  poor  tallow-chan- 
dler's son  added  new  provinces  to  the  domain  of  sci- 
ence, bound  the  lightning  with  a  hempen  cord,  and 
brought  it  harmless  from  the  skies."  Franklin's  is 
but  an  isolated  example  among  a  thousand,  which 
occur  to  the  student  of  biography.  Genius,  like 
grosser  possessions,  has  its  lines  of  descent,  though 
unlike  them,  it  heeds  not  consanguineal  ties,  or  those 
of  country  or  tongue.  The  boy  who  to-day  plays 
round  the  cabin  of  his  sire,  in  wildernesses  which 
skirt  the  Mississippi,  may,  from  an  accidental  peru- 
sal of  some  popular  exposition  of  their  discoveries — 
a  reading  of  some  portion  of  their  works,  or  those  of 
other  writers  on  the  same  topics,  be  led  in  a  few  short 
years,  to  soar  with  a  loftier  flight,  and  pierce  with  a  deep- 
er ken  into  the  arcana  of  the  Universe,  than  have  Ara- 
go  and  Herschel ;  strike  the  lyre  with  a  sublimer  touch 
than  Goethe  or  Wordsworth  ;  or  discourse  on  the 
philosophies  of  the  material  and  spiritual  world,  with 
a  deeper  comprehensiveness  than  Cuvier  or  Cousin, 
— and  the  same  boy,  untouched  with  a  live  coal  from 
the  altars  of  their  genius,  may  pass  through  life  an 
indifferent  farmer  or  mechanic— npt  conspicuous 
even  among  the  dignitaries  of  the  town  in  which  he 
lives.  It  is  true  that  such  master  spirits  are  not 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  181 

vouchsafed  to  every  nation  or  age — much  less  may 
we  anticipate  that  they  will  start  up  in  every  school 
district.  Though  the  occasional  reward,  they  are 
not  the  first  nor  greatest  end  of  those  means  which 
we  put  in  operation  for  the  amelioration  of  our 
species, 

It  is  better  that  all  should  be  raised  to  the  neces- 
sary standard — that  all  should  be  made  intelligent 
and  the  means  of  rational  happiness  placed  within 
their  grasp,  than  that  a  few  should  be  elevated  far 
above  the  intellectual  companionship  of  their  kind, 
and  the  masses  be  left  sunk  in  ignorance  ajid  sensu- 
ality. The  educator  works  the  great  mine  of  hu- 
manity for  the  commoner  metals  ;  these  he  sepa- 
rates from  their  dross,  and  prepares  for  the  use- 
ful purposes  of  life  ; — and  though  veins  of  rich- 
er mineral,  or  the  sparkling  gem  may  occasion- 
ally reward  his  efforts,  experience  has  taught  him 
that  their  occurrence  is  at  too  rare  intervals,  to  justi- 
fy him  in  abandoning  for  their  exclusive  pursuit,  ores, 
which  if  of  less  value,  are  a  thousand  times  more 
abundant  and  accessible. 

A  colonial  nation,  we  inherited  the  matured  litera- 
ture of  England  :  but  in  our  country  as  in  that,  this 
literature  has  not  extended  to  the  masses.  In  insti- 
tuting a  general  library  system,  we  created  or  rather 
put  in  circulation,  the  first  really  popular  literature, 
beyond  that  contained  in  the  newspaper,  and  in  the 
books  of  the  Sunday  school.  Can  any  one  doubt 
then,  that  we  have  reached  a  point  or  phase  in  our 
civilization  which  demands  the  exercise  of  a  provi- 
dent care,  an  anxious,  if  not  a  timid  circumspec- 
tion ? 

It  was  a  saying  of  Fletcher,  "  let  me  make  the 
songs  of  a  people,  and  I  care  not  who  makes  their 
laws."  There  has  been  an  age,  when  the  declara- 
tion would  not  have  been  an  exaggerated  one.  With- 


182  MENTAL   AND   MORAL    CULTURE. 

out  the  Iliad,  Greece  might  never  have  had  her 
Thermopylae  and  Marathon.  Her  irresistible  com- 
manders fought  in  the  ideal  presence  of,  and  weigh- 
ed themselves  in  the  balance  with,  Achilles  and 
Agamemnon.  Until  the  period  of  her  subversion, 
Olyrnpus  rested  not  more  firmly  on  the  soil  of 
Greece,  than  did  the  impress  of  Homer's  genius  on 
her  character  and  literature.  The  influence  of  the 
bard  or  scald  over  the  ancient  British,  Germanic 
and  Scandinavian  tribes,  partook  of  the  character  of 
direct  inspiration.  At  his  strains  of  plaintive  lamen- 
tation, they  listened  subdued,  and  wept  ;  when  he 
exchanged  these  for  the  stern  images  of  war  and  vic- 
tory, they  clashed  their  shields  in  fury,  and  shouted 
for  battle.  He  could  subdue  the  fiery  warrior  to 
"  more  than  woman's  mildness,"  or  with  a  fierce  and 
overwhelming  mastery,  drive  him  forth  convulsed 
and  foaming  with  the  mad  and  unquenchable  fury 
of  the  Bersaerkir. 

Under  our  colder  skies,  and  in  a  less  imaginative 
age,  the  poet  has  lost  his  exclusive  power.  Suscep- 
tibilities yet  remain  in  the  popular  mind,  and  genius 
has  not  lost  the  art  of  reaching  them.  But  it 
must  make  its  approaches  through  other  avenues. 
Mankind  now  study  utility — and  though  they  may 
sometimes  err  in  the  object,  all  are  united  in  the  pur- 
suit. Mankind,  too,  have  begun  to  reason.  They 
may  reason  unsoundly,  but  few  entertain  fixed  opin- 
ions on  any  subject,  which  were  not  adopted,  by 
what  constituted,  in  their  own  estimation,  a  correct 
process  of  reasoning.  We  may  convince  a  man  with 
false  reasoning,  but  he  is  not  disposed  to  take  any 
thing  on  authority — much  less  could  he  be  reached 
by  a  direct  appeal  to  the  imagination.  It  is  singular 
to  note  the  rapidity  with  which  that  faculty  of  the 
mind,  which  we  term  reason,  has  asserted  i's  long 
delayed  but  rightful  mastery — and  the  substantial 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRAEIES.  183 

power  and  influence  which  it  confers  on  those  who 
possess  it  in  an  eminent  degree.  Only  so  far  back 
as  the  days  of  Elizabeth,  that  mighty  philosopher,* 
of  whom  it  has  been  said,t  in  reference  to  his  prede- 
cessors, that  "  he  drew  a  sponge  over  the  table  of 
human  knowledge,"  was  socially,  politically,  and 
physically,  a  taper  which  one  breath  of  the  haughty 
Tudor,  or  even  of  the  weak  Stuart,  could  have  ex- 
tinguished forever.  His  writings  would  have  been 
as  chaff  opposed  to  the  will  of  royalty.  Indepen- 
dent of  his  titles  and  offices,  it  may  well  be  doubted 
whether  they  would  have  given  him  the  considera- 
tion in  the  minds  of  his  countrymen,  enjoyed  by  any 
second  rate  servitor  of  the  court.  He  would  have 
been  as  the  veriest  nothing  compared  with  the  minion 
Leicester,  the  profligate  and  contemptible  Bucking- 
ham !  Turn  we  over  the  page  to  the  reign  of  the 
the  third  George.  A  Pitt  and  a  Burke  already  shook 
aloft  the  sceptre  of  mind  over  that  of  royalty.  They 
reasoned  with  mankind,  and  they  conquered  them. 
Now,  a  statesman^  elevated  to  the  peerage  of  England 
for  his  talents,  fears  not,  and  hesitates  not  to  attack  the 
memory  of  the  grandsire  of  his  Sovereign,  with  a  zeal 
and  energy  which  reminds  us  of  the  mad  hermit  of 
Engaddi  crushing  rocks  beneath  his  iron  flail  !  In 
France  the  descendants  of  Conde's  and  Montmoren- 
cy's  give  place  to  the  sons  of  advocates  and  arti- 
zans.§  In  our  own  country,  if  a  statesman  of  any 
high  rank  can  be  pointed  out,  who  can  be  said  to 
have  owed  any  thing  to  an  inherited  great  name  or 
distinction,  or  who  can  actually  lay  claim  to  it,  he 

*  Bacon.  f  By  Goethe.  $  Brougham. 

§  It  is  stated  in  an  anonymous  French  work  of  which  Mr. 
R.  M.  Walsh  published  a  translation  in  1841,  that  the  cele- 
brated Guizot  is  the  son  of  a  provincial  advocate — Thiers 
the  son  of  a  blacksmith. 


184  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTTJKE. 

forms  an  exception  to  a  rule  which  is  nearly  uni- 
versal. 

The  pale  student  sitting  in  his  study,  if  it  be  given 
to  him  to  grapple  Avith  and  to  vanquish  the  human 
understanding,  exerts  a  deeper  influence — one  that 
will  be  longer,  and  if  properly  directed,  more  bene- 
ficially felt,  than  that  wielded  by  whole  hosts  of  more 
observed  worldlings, — by  the  official,  the  warrior,  or 
the  man  of  wealth.  He  has  neither  armies  nor  trea- 
sures— but  he  has  books.  With  these  can  he  con- 
quer. No  barriers  impede  his  progress — no  fortress 
walls  can  shut  him  out.  He  requires  no  garrisons 
to  maintain  his  conquests— no  new  contests  to  re- 
assert his  supremacy.  Every  understanding  over- 
come by  him,  becomes  his  fortress — every  captive,  a 
willing  recruit.  To  widen  a  former  proposition 
somewhat,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  who  can 
control  the  reading  of  a  people,  can  control  their 
character.  He  who  has  access  to  every  ear  at  all 
times,  and  on  all  occasions  ;  who  can  follow  man  to 
his  fireside,  and  accompany  him  in  his  hours  of  re- 
laxation from  daily  cares  ;  who  can  steal  with  him  to 
his  closet  and  into  solitude,  and  be  often  present  in 
his  meditations,  even  when  his  hands  are  engaged 
in  toil, — can  and  must,  if  not  suddenly,  gradually 
and  certainly,  mould  and  influence  his  tastes,  his 
opinions,  and  his  character. 

Such  is  the  powerful  and  omnipresent  agent, 
which  by  means  of  the  school  libraries,  we  have 
brought  in  contact  with  our  population  !  To  give  it 
still  greater  influence  as  well  as  importance,  it  is  the 
first,  and  thereby  the  forming  literature  of  the  mas- 
ses. Who  shall  doubt  that  by  it,  the  character  of 
our  people  may  be  elevated  and  dignified — lessons  of 
virtue,  moderation  and  stability  deeply  impressed  on 
them — in  a  word,  that  our  moral  and  intellectual 
civilization  may  be  materially  and  permanently  ad- 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  185 

vanced, — or  on  the  other  hand,  that  all  these  advan- 
tages may  be  thrown  away,  and  the  seeds  of  disor- 
der, licentiousness  and  crime,  sown  in  fatal  profusion  ? 

The  method  of  selecting  these  libraries  has  alrea- 
dy been  established.  With  that  strong  reliance  on 
popular  virtue  and  popular  understanding,  which  ac- 
cords so  well  with  the  theory  and  genius  of  our  in- 
stitutions, the  choice  of  books  has,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, been  left  exclusively  to  the  immediate  agents 
of  the  people.  Should  the  event  justify  this  reli- 
ance, it  will  afford  strong,  and  to  the  philanthropist, 
cheering  proof  of  the  same  ability  on  the  part  of  a 
well  informed  and  free  people,  to  conduct  the  suc- 
cessive steps  of  their  moral  and  intellectual  progres- 
sion, that  experience  has  already  demonstrated  they 
possess,  in  meliorating  their  political  systems. 
Should  they  fail,  and  should  the  school  officer  fail  in 
exercising  those  restraining  powers  vested  in  him  in 
necessary  cases,  the  libraries  will  stand  a  humilia- 
ting monument  of  weakness,  folly,  and  wasted 
means. 

Before  proceeding  to  a  direct  examination  of  the 
books  which  should,  or  should  not  be  introduced  into 
the  school  libraries,  it  may  be  well  to  pause  and  ask 
what,  if  any,  are  the  adverse  agencies  which  threaten 
to  give  a  wrong  direction  to  their  selection.  By  far 
the  most  dangerous,  are  those  which  grow  out  of  the 
prevailing  literature  of  the  day.  The  discovery  of 
processes  cheapening  and  expediting  the  multiplica- 
tion and  diffusion  of  books  has  known  no  limit.  Pe- 
cuniary hazard  no  longer  imposes  its  salutary  re- 
strictions on  the  publisher,  and  the  work  which  goes 
into  the  hands  of  the  London  compositor  on  the  first 
day  of  the  month,  will,  before  its  last,  have  been  read 
in  the  form  of  a  mammoth  newspaper,  or  a  cheap 
pamphlet,  in  villages  within  the  shadow  of  the 
16 


186  MEXTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

Rocky  Mountains,  Though  there  are  exceptions  to 
the  remark,  though  there  are  Bancrofts,  and  Pres- 
cotts,  and  Alisons,  and  Guizots  and  other  worthy  la- 
borers in  the  field,  it  cannot  be  denied  or  concealed 
that  the  current,  and  most  generally  read  publica- 
tions of  the  day,  taken  as  a  whole,  are  of  a  frivolous 
and  uninstructive  character.  The  massive  literature 
of  the  concluding  portion  of  the  seventeenth,  and  be- 
ginning of  the  eighteenth  centuries,  may  be  retained 
on  the  shelves  of  the  library,  as  the  antique  dresses 
of  the  courtiers  of  Anne  and  Louis  are  preserved  in 
the  wardrobes  of  their  descendants  ;  but  the  former 
would  excite  nearly  as  much  surprise  in  the  hands 
of  the  mass  of  fashionable  readers,  as  would  the  lat- 
ter on  their  persons. 

This  prevailing  literature,  as  has  been  already 
said,  has  not  reached  the  masses.  But  it  is  the  fash- 
ionable literature,  and  thereby  contagious  ;  and  it  is 
the  cheap  literature.  It  is  the  first  which  the  book- 
merchant  spreads  on  his  counter,  and  which  the 
itinerant  vender  presses  on  his  unread  purchaser. 
When  we  take  into  consideration  the  fact,  that  a 
large  portion  of  those  who  purchase  for  the  school 
libraries,  have  had  no  previous  acquaintance  with 
the  books  so  purchased,  it  would  be  surprising  in- 
deed, if  the  class  in  consideration  did  not  find  their 
way  into,  nay,  swallow  up  these  libraries,  unless  the 
most  ceaseless  vigilance  is  exercised.  In  every 
county  and  town,  the  bookseller,  who  will  faithfully 
point  out  to  those  purchasing  for  school  libraries, 
such  books,  and  such  alone  as  are  suitable  for  that 
purpose,  should  receive  the  marked  and  publicly  ex- 
pressed approbation  of  the  local  superintendents. 

And  is  there  not  another  agent,  which  has  wound 
itself,  and  circulated  like  life  blood  through  every  ar- 
tery of  the  body  politic — which  is  as  cherished  as  it 
is  universal — which  must  too  often  be  ranked  with 


COMMON   SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  1S7 

those  whose  tendencies  are  to  give  a  wrong  bias  to 
popular  reading  ?  No  man  of  sense  or  intelligence, 
would  wish  to  curtail  the  circulation  of  the  newspa- 
per. Liberty,  deprived  of  her  free  press,  were  a 
beleagured  camp  stripped  of  its  sentinels.  But  has 
it  not  been  conceded  as  well  as  deplored,  by  the 
many  able  and  truthful  men  who  assist  in  wielding 
this  mighty  engine,  that  its  objects  have  been  often 
prostituted — that  it  has  often  sunk  to  become  the  type, 
as  well  as  the  purveyor,  of  the  most  frivolous  and  worth- 
less literature  of  the  day.  Who  shall  wonder  that  the 
boy's  first  quest  in  the  school  library,  as  has  been  so 
often  complained,  is  after  some  tale  of  atrocity,*  se- 
duction,! or  sickly  sentimentality,}:  when  from  his 
earliest  childhood  their  epitomes  and  counterparts 
have  been  weekly  placed  before  him,  in  the  miscall- 
ed "  family"  newspaper  !  We  may  be  thankful  that 
should  the  libraries  resist  these  influences,  they  will 
soon  correct  them  ! 

Having  glanced  at  the  importance  of  making  the 
common  school  libraries  a  vehicle  of  correct  litera- 
ture, and  specified  some  causes  operating  to  produce 
a  contrary  result,  it  would  seem  appropriate  in  an 
officer,  who  in  addition  to  his  ordinary  official  cogni- 
zance of  the  subject,  stands  specially  charged  with 
its  examination  by  the  head  of  the  department,  to 
submit  some  general  reflections  on  the  nature  and 
character  of  the  books  which  should,  or  should  not 
be  admitted  into  these  libraries  ;  and  the  principles 
on  which  such  discrimination  should  be  made.  It 
would  unreasonably  extend  the  limits  of  this  report, 
and  occupy  a  province  more  appropriately  belong- 

*  Pirates'  Book,  Lives  of  Celebrated  Banditti  of  all  Na- 
tions, Newgate  Calendar,  etc. 

f  George  Barnwell,  Eliza  Wharton,  etc. 

$  A  large  proportion  of  the  current  novels  of  the  day. 


188  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

ing  to  the  State  Superintendent,  to  attempt  to  give 
an  extended  list  of  approved  or  disapproved  individ- 
ual books.  The  propriety  of  taking  such  a  step,  on 
the  part  of  that  functionary,  will  be  hereinafter  dis- 
cussed. With  a  few  exceptions,  introduced  more 
particularly  by  way  of  illustration,  this  report  will 
confine  itself  to  classes  of  books.  For  more  conveni- 
ent reference,  these  will  be  considered  under  sepa- 
rate heads,  even  at  the  expense  of  occasional  repe- 
tition. 

2.  Enumeration, 

There  are  about  ten  thousand  books  in  the  com- 
mon school  libraries  of  the  county.*  There  does 
not  appear  a  proportionate  increase  from  the  num- 
ber reported  last  year,  from  the  fact  that  the  false 
system  of  enumeration,  in  regard  to  double  districts, 
alluded  to  in  my  last  annual  report,  has  been  cor- 
rected, by  a  recent  order  of  the  Superintendent. 

3.  Circulation, 

The  average  circulation  of  books  has  increased 
since  the  preceding  year.  I  think  it  then  did  not 

*  There  are  875,000  volumes  in   the   common   school  li- 
braries of  the  State.     It  may  be  interesting,  in  this  connex- 
ion, to  take  into  view  the  number  of  volumes,  in  some  of  the 
most  celebrated  libraries  of  ancient  and  modern  times.     The 
Alexandrian  is  said,  probably  fabulously,  to  have  contained 
700,000.     The   library   of   the  Moors,  at   Cordova,   in   the 
twelfth  century,  contained  250,000.      The   royal    library  at 
Paris,  contains  650,000  ;    Munich,  500,000  ;    the  Bodleian 
500,000  ;    St.  Petersburg,  400,000  ;    Copenhagen,  400,000 
the  Vatican,  360,000  ;    Berlin,  320.000  ;    Vienna,  300,000 
British  Museum,  270,000  ;    Dresden,   250,000  ;    Gottingen 
200,000. 

Of  American  libraries,  Harvard  College  has  about  40,000 
Boston  Athenaeum,  say  30,000  ;  Philadelphia,  say  30,000 
N.  Y.  State  library,  say  20,000. 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  ]89 

exceed  one-fourth  of  the  whole  number  ;  now,  it 
will  fall  little  short  of  one-third. 

The  system  established  in  this  State,  requires  a 
distinct  library  in  each  district,  thereby  narrowing 
the  range  of  selection  to  the  means  possessed  by 
each  ;  and  in  any  town,  the  several  districts  will 
possess,  in  the  main,  the  same  books.  The  extension 
of  the  system  proposed  by  Mr.  Barnard,  in  his  Annual 
Report  to  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Common 
Schools  in  Connecticut,  in  1841,  may  be  thought  to 
present  some  advantages  in  this  respect,  not  posses- 
sed by  our  own.  Mr.  Barnard  recommends  that  the 
entire  sum  appropriated  to  each  town  be  expended 
under  the  direction  of  the  town  officer,  and  the  books 
placed  in  as  many  cases  as  there  are  districts,  each 
case  to  pass  in  succession  through  all  the  districts  in 
the  town.  Each  district  will  thus,  at  any  one  time, 
have  access  to  as  many  books  as  under  the  other 
plan,  and  in  the  end,  to  all  the  books  in  the  several 
libraries.  This  increases  the  variety,  by  the  num- 
ber of  districts,  and  keeps  up  the  interest  of  novelty 
by  a  contstant  supply  of  new  authors.  By  local 
regulations,  the  cases  can  be  returned  to  the  town 
superintendent,  at  certain  stated  periods,  for  inspec- 
tion, as  well  as  for  exchange,  and  thus  the  books 
will  be  more  likely  to  be  preserved,  and  any  damage 
or  loss  assessed  to  the  proper  district. 

Mr.  Barnard,  in  his  forthcoming  volume,  "  on  Na- 
tional Education,"  strongly  urges  the  importance  of 
having  all  books  which  are  published  exclusively  for 
school  libraries,  contain  a  glossary,  explaining  briefly 
all  technical  or  scientific  terms  or  names,  dates  and 
events  not  readily  understood  by  juvenile  readers. 
The  want  of  such  a  glossary,  impairs  the  value  of 
many  books  now  in  the  libraries,  not  only  for  juve- 
nile readers,  but  for  a  large  portion  of  adults,  whose 


190  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTUKE. 

education  and  reading  has  been  limited.  The  school 
library,  published  under  the  sanction  of  the  Board  of 
Education  of  Massachusetts,  is  in  this  respect,  supe- 
rior to  any  other  now  before  the  public. 

4.     Condition  of  Books. 

The  condition  of  the  books  continues  generally 
good.  The  binding  on  many  of  them,  however,  is 
too  frail  for  their  proper  preservation.  This  is  a 
point  which  should  receive  particular  attention  from 
those  who  purchase  for  districts  ;  and  local  officers 
should  studiously  discourage  the  purchase  of  the 
books  of  publishers,  whom  parsimony  or  negligence 
renders  inattentive  in  this  particular. 

5.     Regulations. 

I  adhere  to  the  opinion  expressed  by  me  in  my  last 
annual  report,  that  the  library  regulations,  as  a 
whole,  require  no  amendment.  I  would  recom- 
mend, however,  that  authority  be  conferred  on  coun- 
ty superintendents  to  extend  on  application,  in  suita- 
ble cases,  the  time  during  which  books  may  be  re- 
tained out  of  the  libraries. 

6.      Size  of  Books. 

The  size  of  books  may  seem  a  trivial  considera- 
tion in  this  connection.  Experience,  however,  has 
demonstrated  that  it  is  an  important  one.  Unless 
in  extensive  libraries,  where  a  wide  range  of  read- 
ing tastes  are  to  be  gratified,  as  in  the  case  of  cities 
or  very  populous  districts,  it  is  not  advisable  to  pur- 
chase the  largest  and  most  elaborate  class  of  publi- 
cations, on  any  given  topic.  The  objection  against 
them  is  two-fold.  They  are  too  expensive,  and  the 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  191 

chance  is  not  so  great  that  they  will  be  generally  read. 
Hume's  History  of  England  and  its  continuations,  for 
example,  would  exhaust  the  library  fund  in  many 
small  districts  for  several  years,  and  thus  preclude  the 
purchase  of  other  histories  and  works  on  other  topics 
equally  important.  How  many  children,  and,  among 
an  actively  engaged  and  laboring  population,  how 
many  adults,  would  undertake  and  finally  accomplish 
any  thing  like  a  careful  and  well-digested  perusal  of 
this  great  work  ? 

On  the  other  hand,  books  should  not  be  purchased, 
which,  to  secure  brevity,  have  been  reduced  to  mere 
epitomes  or  compendiums,  or,  what  is  far  worse,  a 
class  of  publications  greatly  abounding — put  in  a  con- 
densed form  to  render  them  more  saleable — which  are 
compiled,  rather  than  written,  by  authors  incapable  of 
grasping  their  subjects,  and  utterly  deficient  in  style. 
Marshall's  Life  of  Washington,  or  the  Life  of  Frank- 
lin by  his  Grandson,  may  be  too  elaborate  works  for 
the  smaller  school  libraries ;  but  who  would  leave  the 
lives  of  these  illustrious  men  to  the  handling  of  an 
author  of  the  intellectual  or  literary  capacity  of 
Weems  ? 

7.   Useful,  as  contradistinguished  from  merely 

amusing,  Books. 

The  first  cardinal  rule  to  be  adopted  in  relation  to 
the  character  of  all  books  admitted  into  the  school 
libraries,  is,  that  they  shall  be  of  a  character  to  diffuse 
sound  and  useful  instruction.  If  any  doubts  could 
have  existed  on  this  point,  they  have  been  settled  by 
repeated  declarations  of  the  State  Superintendent. 
Amusement  is  not  incompatible  with  instruction.  It 
may  add  to  the  zest  and  beguile  the  difficulties  of 
acquiring  knowledge.  But  mere  amusement  consti- 
tutes no  part  of  the  objects  sought  in  the  establishment 
of  the  school  libraries ;  and  when  it  forms  the  prin- 


192        MENTAL  AND  MORAL  CULTURE. 

cipal,  or  even  a  considerable  separate  end  of  literature, 
such  literature  sinks  below  the  standard  of  that  which 
a  government  may,  with  dignity,  provide  for  and  recom- 
mend to  its  people.  In  deciding  what  books  shall  be 
considered  useful  ones,  however,  we  are  to  have  regard 
to  the  mental  developement  and  previous  acquirements 
of  those  intended  to  be  benefited  by  their  perusal. 
We  are  to  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  as  easy  to  fall  into 
the  error  of  soaring  above,  as  of  falling  below,  the 
comprehension  of  the  reader,  and  that  it  is  a  mistake 
quite  as  fatal,  and  perhaps  not  less  frequent.  A  ripe 
and  liberally  educated  scholar  would  not  find  instruc- 
tion in  works  which  would  be  deeply  instructive  to 
thousands  of  our  population,  and  an  ordinarily  well- 
educated  man  would  scarcely  seek  instruction  in  books 
adapted  to  the  capacities  of  childhood.  This  brings  us 
to  the  consideration  of  an  interesting  and  important  de- 
partment in  the  libraries. 

8.  Juvenile  Books. 

But  does  it  follow,  because  manhood  and  youth  re- 
quire different  intellectual  aliment,  that  none  shall  be 
supplied  to  the  latter  ?  It  has  already  been  said  that 
youth  is  the  period  to  fix  and  cultivate  habits  of  read- 
ing, and  that,  if  a  taste  for  it  is  not  acquired  at  this 
period,  it  rarely  is  in  after  life.  Every  day  that  we 
defer  to  place  suitable  books  in  the  hands  of  the  child, 
after  he  has  attained  sufficient  maturity  of  understand- 
ing to  receive  moral  and  intellectual  impressions,  to 
treasure  up  useful  facts,  is  so  much  time  irretrievably 
squandered.  And  there  is  another  weighty  and  solemn 
consideration.  If  we  neglect  to  sow  good  seed  in  a 
soil  which,  like  this,  cannot,  by  the  very  law  of  its 
being,  remain  a  moment  unproductive,  what  warrant 
have  we  that 

•  •  Weeds  of  dark  luxuriance,  tares  of  haste." 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  193 

will  not  spring  up  and  occupy  it  in  spite  of  all  our 
subsequent  efforts  ? 

Shall  we  attempt  to  drag  up  the  mind  and  taste  to  a 
precocious  developement,  by  inciting  children  to  read 
works  adapted  to  fully  matured  capacities  ?  We 
ought  not  to,  if  we  could — we  cannot,  if  we  make  the 
attempt.  That  the  mind  can  be  led  forward,  and  its 
powers  matured  with  far  greater  rapidity,  by  adapting 
instruction  to  its  feeblest  state  of  developement,  and 
only  increasing  the  solidity  and  strength  of  the  mental 
aliment,  to  keep  pace  with  its  gradually  unfolding 
energies,  is  as  true  in  relation  to  the  instruction  sought 
to  be  derived  from  the  library  as  to  that  given  in  the 
school-room  ;  and  to  the  discovery  of  this  fact  in  its 
connection  with  the  latter,  we  are  indebted  for  the 
most  important  improvements  in  modern  teaching. 
Books  and  studies  above  the  reach  of  the  understand- 
ing not  only  lead  it  forward  slowly,  but  they  fasten  on 
it  a  habit  which  is  rarely  subsequently  laid  aside,  and 
which,  if  not,  proves  fatal  to  its  vigor,  and  to  any  high 
grade  of  attainments.  That  mental  indolence  or  lan- 
guor, that  habit  of  slurring  over  difficult  propositions, 
is  alluded  to,  which  deters  the  mind  from  following 
and  seizing  upon  the  higher  steps  of  ratiocination — 
which  makes  the  man  a  careless  listener,  an  unweigh- 
ing  reader,  and  an  unsound  thinker. 

The  ignorant  teacher  may  goad  forward  the  child 
to  attempt  studies  beyond  its  comprehension ;  but  for.- 
tunately,  in  relation  to  the  library,  no  such  coercion  is 
often  attempted.  Nature,  if  left  to  herself,  exercises  a 
conservative  agency  ;  she  spurns  at  such  absurdities. 
It  may  be  assumed  as  an  undeniable  general  proposi- 
tion that,  if  books  are  above  the  comprehension  of 
those  in  whose  hands  they  are  placed,  they  will  not 
be  read  ;  and,  accordingly,  the  mass  of  books  in  the 
school  libraries  are  not  read  by  children.  An  ex- 
17 


194  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

tended  and  faithful  scrutiny  has  established  the  point 
conclusively,  in  regard  to  the  county  under  my  jurisdic- 
tion, that  the  average  class  of  books  in  the  libraries — 
for  example,  the  series  of  the  Messrs.  Harper — are  not 
generally,  or  to  any  considerable  extent,  read  by  youth 
between  the  ages  of  seven  and  fourteen  years.  Of 
course,  the  children  here  referred  to  are  those  who 
are  receiving  their  education  in  our  common  schools. 
And  if  the  boy  or  girl  has  reached  an  age  when,  as  is 
usually  the  case  among  our  laboring  population,  their 
attention  begins  to  be  fixed  upon,  and  their  time  during 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  year  occupied  in,  the 
avocations  of  their  parents, — to  repeat  a  former  ques- 
tion,— what  chance  is  there  that  they  will  contract  the 
habit  of  reading  afterwards  ?  or  how  materially  is  that 
chance  diminished  ?  To  resort  to  a  trite  simile,  it 
may  be  said  that  we  have  given  to  our  people  a  ladder 
to  moral  and  intellectual  elevation ;  but  we  have  placed 
no  lower  "rounds"  in  it — none  within  reach  of. the 
child.  And  while  the  mental  stature  is  acquiring  size 
and  strength  to  reach  higher  ones,  a  distaste  is  ac- 
quired— or,  what  results  in  the  same  thing,  no  taste  is 
acquired  for  the  ascent. 

At  the  risk  of  pursuing  this  question  beyond  the 
limits  properly  assignable  to  it,  the  important  interests 
involved  in  its  decision  would  seem  to  demand  that  an 
objection  against  these  juvenile  departments  in  our 
libraries,  or  rather  a  proposed  substitute  for  them, 
shall  be  briefly  examined.  It  has  been  contended  that 
a  sufficient  supply  of  this  class  of  books  will  be  found 
in  the  Sunday  school  and  nursery.  In  relation  to  the 
first,  its  books  are  too  limited  in  their  range  of  topics, 
too  few  in  number,  and  too  inaccessible  to  the  mass  of 
population,  and  oftentimes  too  objectionable  to  those 
entertaining  different  religious  faiths,  to  ever  supply 
the  place  of  a  necessary  department  in  the  common 
school  libraries.  Besides,  is  it  becoming  that  the  chil- 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  195 

dren  of  the  republic  shall  depend  upon  the  charity  of 
religious  denominations  for  that  mental  food  which 
they  are  as  justly  entitled  to  receive  at  the  hands  of 
the  government  as  are  their  parents  ?  In  relation  to 
the  "  nursery,"  could  we  have  sufficient  surety  that 
the  parent  would  make  the  necessary  purchases  of 
books,  it  would  be  contrary  to  the  dictates  of  wise 
policy,  as  well  as  to  an  established  feature  in  the  com- 
mon school  library  system,  to  surrender  up  their  selec- 
tion exclusively  to  the  tastes  or  caprices  of  every 
individual  parent.  But  whatever  may  be  true  of 
cities, — though  the  comparison  would  probably  result 
little  in  their  favor, — a  school  officer  whom  official 
duties  has  carried  much  among  the  people  of  the 
country — into  their  houses — and  this  too  under  cir- 
cumstances well  calculated  to  ascertain  the  fact — can- 
not fail  to  have  observed  that  no  such  class  of  books  is 
to  be  found  among  the  mass  of  our  population.  Prob- 
ably not  one  householder  in  five,  throughout  the  state, 
possesses  a  collection,  or  even  a  single  volume,  of  well- 
selected  juvenile  books ! 

The  foregoing  facts  and  conclusions  are  presented 
as  the  results  of  no  hasty  observations  or  reflections. 
The  inquiries  which  led  to  them  were  suggested  by 
the  universal  prevalence  of  a  known  and  acknowl- 
edged evil.  They  have  been  long  and  zealously 
prosecuted,  and  the  effect  carefully  noted,  in  districts 
where  properly-selected  juvenile  books  have  been  in- 
troduced into  the  libraries.  In  presenting  my  conclu- 
sions, I  cannot,  in  justice  to  the  responsible  trust  com- 
mitted to  me,  and  in  justice  to  what  I  believe  to  be 
momentous  social  interests,  omit  to  respectfully  recom- 
mend that  all  restrictions  heretofore  placed  on  the 
introduction  of  this  class  of  books  into  the  school 
libraries,  be  removed ;  and  that  the  purchase  of  a 
judicious  series  of  juvenile  books,  of  a  class  equal  to 
"  Parley's  Magazine  "  or  the  "  Rollo  Books  "  be  rec- 


196  MENTAL   AND    WOHAL    CULTUHE. 

cmmended  to  every  school  district,  by  the  Head  of 
Department.* 

*  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  last  annual  report  of 
the  State  Superintendent,  in  reference  to  this  branch  of  the 
tubject : — 

"  There  is  reason  to  apprehend  that  the  officers  charged 
with  the  duty  of  selecting  books  for  these  libraries  have  too 
generally  failed  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  a  suitable  pro- 
vision for  the  intellectual  and  moral  wants  of  the  children  of 
the  district.  Much  misapprehension  has  existed  on  this  sub- 
ject, in  consequence  of  the  general  prohibition,  contained  in 
the  instructions  heretofore  communicated  from  this  Depart- 
ment, against  the  introduction  into  the  school  libraries  of 
books  of  '  a  merely  juvenile  character.'  The  true  principles 
upon  which  the  selections  for  these  institutions  should  be 
made,  may  be  clearly  inferred,  as  well  from  the  original  design 
of  the  appropriation,  as  from  the  contemporaneous  exposition 
of  the  superintendent,  under  whose  immediate  auspices  it  was 
first  carried  into  effect.  The  distribution  of  the  fund  pro- 
vided for  this  purpose  was  directed,  by  the  act  under  which  it 
was  supplied,  to  be  made  '  in  like  manner  and  upon  the  like 
condition  as  the  school  moneys  are  now  or  shall  hereafter  be 
distributed,  except  that  the  trustees  of  the  several  districts 
shall  appropriate  the  sum  received  to  the  purchase  of  a  dis- 
trict library.'  The  amount  of  library  money,  therefore,  under 
this  provision,  to  which  each  district  became  entitled,  was  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  five 
and  sixteen,  residing  therein,  compared  with  the  aggregate 
number  in  all  the  districts,  and  not  in  proportion  to  the  adult 
population  merely,  or  the  whole  population  combined.  The 
primary  object  of  the  institution  of  district  libraries  was  de- 
clared, in  the  circular  of  General  Dix,  accompanying  the  pub- 
lication of  the  act  of  1838,  to  be  '  to  disseminate  works  suited 
to  the  intellectual  improvement  of  the  great  body  of  the  peo- 
ple, rather  than  to  throw  into  school  districts,  for  the  use  of  the 
young,  htioks  of  a  merely  juvenile  character  ;  and  that,  by  col- 
lecting a  large  amount  of  useful  information  where  it  will  be 
easily  accessible,  the  influence  of  these  establishments  can 
hardly  fail  to  be  in  the  highest  degree  salutary  to  those  who 
have  finished  their  ctmmon  school  education,  as  well  as  to  those 
who  have  not.  The  object  in  view  will  probably  be  best  an- 
swerer! by  having  books  suitable  for  all  ages  abore  ten  or  twelve 
years,  though  the  proportion  for  those  of  mature  age  ought  to  be 
by  fur  the  greatest.'  When  it  is  considered  that  tne  founda- 
tions of  education  are  laid  during  the  peri<  d  of  youth,  and 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  197 

9.  Moral  Tendencies  of  Books. 

It  would  be  an  insult  to  the  virtuous  sense  of  the 
community,  to  suppose  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
offer  a  caution,  and  more  especially  an  argument,  to 
any  portion  of  our  population,  against  the  selection 
of  books  to  be  read  by  themselves,  or  placed  in  the 
hands  of  their  children,  of  a  known  and  openly  recog- 
nized immoral  character.  Few  such  instances  of 
depravity  are  to  be  found  even  among  individuals ; 
•  and  they  never  form  a  majority  among  a  population, 
the  aggregate  of  which,  if  not  polished,  is  never  de- 
based. But  vice  and  immorality  often  lurk  under 
specious  coverings.  And,  unfortunately,  their  poison 
often  comes  associated  with  the  most  splendid  efforts 

that  the  taste  for  reading  and  study  is,  with  rare  exceptions, 
formed  and  matured  at  this  period,  if  at  all,  the  importance  of 
furnishing  an  adequate  supply  of  books,  adapted  to  the  com- 
prehension of  the  immature  but  expanding  intellect,  suited  to 
its  various  stages  of  mental  growth,  and  calculated  to  lead  it 
onward  by  a  gradual  and  agreeable  transition,  from  one  field 
of  intellectual  and  moral  culture  to  another,  cannot  fail  to  be 
appreciated.  And  even  if  the  intellectual  wants  of  many  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  districts,  of  more  mature  age,  are  duly 
considered,  it  admits  of  little  doubt  that  a  due  proportion  of 
works  of  a  more  familiar  and  elementary  character  than  are 
the  mass  of  those  generally  selected,  would  have  a  tendency 
not  only  to  promote,  but  often  to  create,  that  taste  for  mental 
pursuits  which  leads,  by  a  rapid  and  sure  progression,  to  a 
more  extended  acquaintance  with  the  broad  domains  of 
knowledge.  Those  whose  circumstances  and  pursuits  in  life 
h.ive  hitherto  precluded  any  systematic  investigation  of  lit- 
erary subjects,  and  who,  if  they  possessed  the  desire,  were 
debarred  the  means  of  intellectual  improvement  now  brought 
within  their  reach,  can  scarcely  be  expected  to  pass  at  once 
to  that  high  appreciation  of  useful  knowledge,  which  the 
perusal  of  elaborate  treatises  on  any  of  the  numerous  branches 
of  science  or  metaphysics  requires ;  and  the  fact  brought  to 
view  by  the  annual  reports  of  the  county  superintendents, 
that  by  far  the  greater  proportion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
several  districts  neglect  to  avail  themselves  of  the  privileges 


198  MENTAL   AND   MORAL  CULTURE. 

of  human  genius.  As  a  literary  man,  I  would  as  soon 
banish  bread  from  my  table  as  Shakspeare  from  my 
library  ;  yet  I  hesitate  not  to  say  there  are  scenes  and 
passages  in  the  writings  of  the  great  dramatist,  which, 
though  strictly  in  keeping  with  the  tastes  of  his  times, 
should  preclude  their  indiscriminate  circulation  among 
children,  and  those  whose  tastes  and  understandings 
are  yet  crude  and  uncultivated.  Editions  of  many  of 
the  early  English  poets — of  nearly  all  those  of  the  era 
of  Dryden  and  Pope,  including  both  of  those  peerless 
geniuses — and  of  a  moiety  of  the  moderns,  would 
require  expurgation  before  they  could  be  properly 
placed  on  the  shelves  of  a  school  library.  In  the 
department  of  fiction,  the  humor  of  Smollet,  and  the 
sparkling  genius  of  Fielding  and  Le  Sage,  cannot 
atone  for  the  presence  of  a  similar  taint-spot.  Lat- 

of  the  library,  indicates  too  general  a  failure  to  supply  these 
institutions  with  the  requisite  proportion  of  elementary  books. 
"  In  the  selection  of  books  for  the  district  libraries,  suitable 
provisions  should  be  made  for  every  gradation  of  intellectual 
advancement ;  from  that  of  a  child,  whose  insatiable  curiosity 
eagerly  prompts  to  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
world  of  matter  and  of  mind,  to  that  of  the  most  finished 
scholar,  who  is  prepared  to  augment  his  stock  of  knowledge 
by  every  means  which  may  be  brought  within  his  reach. 
The  prevalence  of  an  enlightened  appreciation  of  the  require- 
ments of  our  people  in  this  respect,  has  already  secured  the 
application  of  the  highest  grade  of  mental  and  moral  excel- 
lence to  the  elementary  departments  of  literature ;  and  works 
adapted  to  the  comprehension  of  the  most  immature  intellect, 
and  at  the  same  time  capable  of  conveying  the  most  valuable 
information  to  more  advanced  minds,  have  been  provided, 
wholly  free,  on  the  one  hand,  from  that  puerility  which  is  fit 
only  for  the  nursery,  and,  on  the  other,  from  those  generaliza- 
tions and  assumptions  which  are  adapted  only  to  advanced 
stages  of  mental  progress.  A  more  liberal  infusion  of  this 
class  of  publications,  sanctioned  by  the  approbation  of  the 
most  experienced  friends  of  education,  into  our  district 
libraries,  would,  it  is  confidently  believed,  remove  many  of 
those  obstacles  to  their  general  utility,  which  otherwise  are 
liable  to  be  perpetuated  from  generation  to  generation." 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  199 

terly,  the  tide  of  demoralizing  fictions,  both  in  Eng- 
land and  France,  has  swelled  into  a  flood.  Most  of 
these  lack  even  the  gloss  of  genius ;  but  there  are  un- 
fortunate exceptions.  The  skepticism  that  glares  up 
amid  the  lurid  flames  of  Godwin,  and  some  kindred 
writers,  is  not  so  dangerous  as  the  bespangled  pic- 
tures and  sophisms  of  one  who  can  at  times  write 
with  as  pure  and  lofty  a  pen  as  the  author  of  Pelham. 
The  last-named  book  one  would  think  was  written  by 
a  baronet,  with  an  express  purpose  to  surround  puppy- 
ism and  vice  with  the  prestiges  of  his  rank — to  give 
them  currency  and  respect,  by  stamping  them  with 
the  impress  of  aristocracy ! 

History  and  the  higher  walks  of  biography  have 
rarely  stooped  to  offend  in  these  particulars.  But  in 
the  vulgar  compilations  of  the  latter,  in  the  marvellous 
and  criminal  department,  we  find  a  fruitful  harvest  of 
the  bad.  By  what,  at  first  view,  would  seem  an  un- 
fortunate tendency  of  at  least  the  uninstructed  mind, 
vice  rarely  acquires  repulsiveness  from  closer  inspec- 
tion and  continued  contemplation.  Even  its  ultimate 
retribution  inspires  sympathy  oftener  than  it  excites 
awe.  The  executed  criminal  is  always  a  hero  or  a 
martyr  with  a  portion  of  the  spectators  of  his  exit ; 
and  it  was  a  sound  philosophy  which  dictated,  in  our 
statute-book,  that  what  would  seem  to  be  the  most 
instructive  and  warning  event,  in  the  whole  career  of 
the  felon,  should  be  hidden  from  the  public  eye. 
Doubly  important  were  it,  then,  were  it  practicable,  to 
hide  on  paper,  as  well  as  in  real  life,  the  oftentimes 
sanguinary  and  disgusting  details  of  atrocity  which 
precede  and  give  occasion  for  the  closing  scene.  The 
increased  danger  of  these  publications,  when,  as  is 
often  the  case,  vice  is  painted  in  lofty  and  romantic 
colors,  need  not  be  insisted  on.  But  whatever  views 
may  be  taken  by  authors  who  have  thus  misapplied 
their  powers,  the  tendency  of  this  entire  class  of  publi- 


200  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

cations  is  to  pervert  and  blunt  the  moral  sensibilitiea, 
to  degrade  and  brutalize  the  taste. 

If,  to  give  identity  and  distinctness  to  the  classes  of 
works  deemed  objectionable  for  the  purpose  under 
consideration,  those  of  individual  writers  of  high  lit- 
erary rank  have  been  specified,  no  one  should  claim 
that  genius  is  entitled  to  any  exemption  from  animad- 
version, when  it  sins  against  the  severest  code  of 
morals ;  and  its  most  captivating  or  sublime  displays 
should  not  excuse  the  presence,  or  even  a  suspicion,  of 
immoral  tendencies.  If  there  are  those  who  are  so 
inconsiderate  as  to  believe  that  every  work  which  may 
be  safe  and  profitable  to  a  matured  and  cultivated  un- 
derstanding must  therefore  be  so  to  childhood  and  par- 
tial cultivation,  and  who  are  prepared  to  characterize 
the  proscription  of  the  works  designated,  and  those  of 
the  same  class,  from  the  school  libraries,  as  the  fruits 
of  a  Gothic  taste  or  an  overstrained  morality,  it  should 
not,  nevertheless,  deter  the  school  officer  from  faithfully 
discharging  his  duty.  The  responsibility  must  be  met, 
and  I  have  preferred  to  meet  it  here,  to  an  attempt  to 
take  shelter  under  any  vague  generalities.  We  should 
read  the  monitory  tale  of  the  past  but  poorly,  did  we 
fail  to  learn  in  it  the  important  lesson,  that  moral  civ- 
ilization must  always  advance  hand  in  hand  with  intel- 
lectual civilization,  to  insure  the  advantageous  fruits 
or  the  perpetuity  of  either.  And  we  can  throw  aside 
the  self-blackened  author  with  the  less  regret,  as  in 
every  age  of  English — European  literature — and  in 
every  department  of  it,  there  have  not  been  wanting 
pure  and  truthful  spirits,  who  have  welled  forth  waters 
as  rich  and  sparkling,  and  unmired  with  any  gross  com- 
mixture— who  have  written  nothing  which  "  dying  they 
could  wish  to  blot." 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  201 

10.    Sectarian  Books. 

The  common  sense  of  every  man  would  teach  him 
that  the  school  libraries  do  not  furnish  an  appropriate 
field  for  religious  controversies,  and  particularly  for 
those  vehement  attacks  which  heated  sectaries  some- 
times conceive  it  their  right  or  their  duty  to  make 
on  other  religious  bodies  or  systems.  The  common 
school  and  its  library  are  neutral  ground,  on  which 
those  professing  different  and  antagonist  creeds  can 
meet  together  in  peace  ;  and  this  neutrality  must  be 
preserved,  if  we  would  preserve  the  utility  of  these 
educational  institutions.  The  state  superintendent  has 
declared  [Spencer,  Vol.  School  Laws,  1841,  p.  177] 
that  works  "  of  a  sectarian  character,  or  of  hostility  to 
the  Christian  religion,  should  on  no  account  be  admit- 
ted "  into  the  libraries.  But  beyond  this  general 
declaration,  no  criteria  or  tests  have  been  set  forth, 
by  which  the  people  of  districts,  or  those  purchasing 
for  them,  can  decide,  with  any  great  degree  of  cer- 
tainty, what  works,  touching  at  all  on  religious  topics, 
shall  or  shall  not  come  within  the  prohibitory  rule.  It 
might  seem  that  any  more  particular  description  or 
definition  could  give  no  additional  clearness  to  the  two 
simple  propositions  contained  in  the  dictum  of  the  su- 
perintendent ;  and  perhaps  such  would  be  the  case,  if 
every  one  should  bring  to  their  consideration  a  catho- 
lic spirit  and  an  unbiased  judgment — a  disposition  to 
discover  their  true  intent,  rather  than  to  bend  and  ren- 
der them  subservient  to  previously  conceived  views. 
That  they,  or  rather  the  first  of  them,  has  been  often 
misinterpreted,  one  familiar  with  the  libraries  cannot 
but  know.  In  some  instances,  religious  denominations 
have  supposed  that,  in  establishing  an  immunity  from 
attack  for  themselves  and  a  few  affiliated  sects,  they 
have  exhausted  all  the  charity  embodied  or  contem- 


202  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

plated  in  the  principle.  Others,  with  nicer  scrupu- 
lousness, have  felt  themselves  called  upon  to  reject  all 
works  in  which  the  religious  biases  of  the  author  are 
made  even  incidentally  to  appear. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  jt  would  seem  incumbent  on 
the  competent  tribunal  to  establish  further  and  more 
definite  criteria  for  deciding  what  works  shall  be  in- 
cluded under  the  head  of  "  sectarian "  ones,  and  to 
take  measures  to  enforce  a  more  correct  and  uniform 
rule  of  construction.  Notwithstanding  the  seeming 
delicacy  with  which  the  excited  feelings  and  mutual 
suspicions  of  religious  bodies  have  invested  this  task, 
it  is  one  which  the  school  officer  is  not  at  liberty  to 
shrink  from.  To  delay  it  longer  is  to  involve  the  sub- 
ject in  new  difficulties — to  encumber  its  final  adjust- 
ment with  the  extirpation  of  errors  which  are  daily 
accumulating,  and  which  in  the  beginning  might  have 
been  easily,  to  a  great  extent,  prevented.  Believing 
that  an  exploration  of  this  debateable  ground  requires 
rather  a  frank  directness  of  purpose,  uninfluenced  by 
fear  or  prejudice,  than  any  shining  abilities ;  esteem- 
ing this,  moreover,  in  common  with  every  other  topic 
connected  with  the  common  school  libraries,  directly 
assigned  to  my  consideration  by  my  official  superior,  I 
shall  not  hesitate  to  set  forth  the  views  in  relation  to  it 
which  have  hitherto  guided  my  official  action,  together 
with  the  reasons  which  led  to  their  adoption. 

It  may  be  well,  in  ascertaining  the  true  interpreta- 
tion of  the  phrase  "  sectarian  books,"  to  first  inquire 
the  meaning  of  the  word  which  defines  or  particular- 
izes the  kind  of  books  under  consideration.  The  word 
"  sectarian,"  in  its  adjective  form,  as  the  suffix  would 
imply,  signifies  "  pertaining  to  a  sect."  "  Sect,"  not- 
withstanding a  more  limited  etymological  signification, 
is  universally  understood  to  mean,  in  religion  as  well 
as  in  philosophy,  a  body  "  united  in  tenets,"  and  ap- 
plies, by  universal  practice,  equally  to  all  religious 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  203 

denominations.  Sectarian  books,  then,  are  the  books 
pertaining  to  a  sect,  as  such — that  is,  devoted  to  the 
promulgation  or  defence  of  its  peculiar  tenets, — in  the 
same  way  in  which  we  speak  of  Trinitarian  books  or 
authors,  when  we  mean  books  or  authors  sustaining 
the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  Whether  from  the  fact 
that  the  defence  of  one  class  of  tenets  implies  a  con- 
tradiction of  or  attack  on  another  class,  or  that  such 
attacks  usually  emanate  from  antagonist  sects,  a  work 
assailing  the  religious  views  of  any  sect  or  church  is, 
by  common  consent,  ranked  under  the  head  "  secta- 
rian," as  much  as  one  designed  to  promulgate  its 
views. 

One  point  remains  to  be  settled.  What  bodies  shall 
be  recognized  as  "  religious  "  denominations  or  sects  ? 
We  sometimes  use  the  word  religion  as  synonymous 
with  personal  piety,  or  what  we  esteem  the  true  system 
of  faith  and  worship.  Under  either  of  these  definitions, 
the  word  would  find  no  uniformity  of  interpretation, 
and  a  door  would  be  left  open  to  the  most  flagrant 
abuses.  It  would  virtually  authorize  the  dominant 
sect  to  pronounce  itself  a  "religious"  sect,  and  de- 
prive all  others  of  the  rights  or  immunities  which  they 
are  equally  entitled  to  in  the  same  character.  Re- 
ligion, in  the  extended  signification  of  the  word,  im- 
plies any  system  of  faith  and  worship.  There  may  be 
true  and  false  religions.  The  doctrines  of  Trinitarian- 
ism  and  Unitarian  ism,  being  exactly  opposite  to  each 
other,  must,  one  or  the  other,  be  untrue, — yet  both  are 
equally  systems  of  religion.  The  believers  in  both 
can  claim,  with  equal  propriety,  to  be  "  religious 
sects."  It  is  not  necessary,  here,  to  go  beyond  the 
pale  of  civilization  to  inquire  in  relation  to  the  religious 
systems  of  heathen  nations.  We  have  neither  Pagans 
nor  Mahometans  among  us.  But  every  body  of  men 
among  us,  acknowledging  the  existence  of  a  God,  and 
any  system  of  faith  and  worship  in  and  towards  him, 


204  MENTAL   AND    MORAL   CULTURE. 

must,  in  the  eye  of  any  law  or  official  regulation, 
come  equally  under  the  denomination  of  a  religious 
sect.  We  come,  then,  to  the  first  general  rule  in  re- 
lation to  the  school  libraries,  deducible  from  the  above 
positions  : — 

1.  No  works  written  professedly  to  uphold  or  attack 
any  sect  or  creed  in  our  country,  CLAIMING  to  be  a  re- 
ligious one,  shall  be  tolerated  in  the  school  libraries. 

The  question  now  arises,  how  far  this  rule  of  exclu- 
sion shall  apply  to  an  extensive  class  of  literary  works, 
evidently  not  written  with  a  sectarian  object,  but  which 
incidentally  manifest  the  religious  preferences  or  an- 
tipathies of  their  writers.  This  class  embraces  many 
of  the  standard  productions  of  our  language.  There 
are,  indeed,  few  books  written  which  do  not  contain 
such  disclosures.  There  is,  probably,  not  a  historian 
of  England  who  does  not  betray  an  evident  leaning 
against  the  Protestants  or  Catholics.  Clarendon  and 
Hume  are  not  exceptions  to  this  remark.  In  biogra- 
phy, these  predilections  are  displayed  almost  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  in  alluding  to  the  religious  tenets  of  their 
subjects.  In  Pope's  Essay  on  Man,  notwithstanding 
the  volumes  once  written  to  disprove  it,  we  feel  as- 
sured that  the  author  leans  towards  the  skepticism  of 
St.  John,  (the  celebrated  Viscount  Bolingbroke,)  whom 
he  addresses  in  the  first  line  of  that  much-read  poem. 
Other  productions  as  clearly  evince  the  sway  subse- 
quently acquired  over  his  religious  views  by  that  giant 
defender  of  Christianity,  Bishop  Warburton.  Gibbon, 
throughout  his  magnificent  History  of  the  Decline  and 
Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  clearly  exhibits  the  earlier 
and  worse  bias  which  has  been  alluded  to  in  Pope. 
The  whole  tenor  of  Milton's  Paradise  Lost  militates 
against  the  doctrine  of  Universalism.  These  instances 
might  be  indefinitely  multiplied,  and  from  among  the 
choicest  productions  of  our  language.  To  exclude 
them  from  the  school  libraries  would  be  to  perpetrate 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  205 

a  great  evil  to  escape  a  smaller  one  ;  for  surely,  if 
selected  indiscriminately  in  relation  to  their  religious 
biases,  and  not  allowed  to  assume  any  exclusive  re- 
ligious hue,  he  who  would  take  umbrage  at  their  intro- 
duction would  exhibit  a  puerile  sensibility,  or  rather 
irritability. 

It  may  be  said  that  in  one,  at  least,  of  the  instances 
cited,  the  works  are  not  merely  "  sectarian,"  but  actu- 
ally of  "hostility  to  the  Christian  religion,"  a  class  di- 
rectly prohibited  by  the  superintendent.  But  if  the 
positions  heretofore  assumed  are  correct,  works  attack- 
ing other  religions  than  the  Christian — for  example, 
those  of  the  Jew,  and  that  class  of  Unitarians  who  ut- 
terly deny  the  divine  character  of  Christ — are  equally 
excluded.  This  prohibition  of  the  superintendent,  then, 
was  really  embraced  in  his  preceding  one  against 
"  sectarian  "  works.  Although  it  behoves  us  to  be 
exceedingly  cautious  in  tolerating  any  work  even  in- 
directly impugning  the  theory  of  our  holy  religion,  and 
although  some  more  strictness  in  enforcing  the  rule  of 
exclusion  in  relation  to  such  may  be  proper,  it  is  in 
vain  to  say  that  it  shall  be  made  imperative  in  every 
possible  instance  coming  within  its  letter.  We  must 
bear  in  mind,  if  we  attempt  to  be  tenacious  to  this  ex- 
tent, that  a  work  containing  one  improper  thought  or 
unjust  sentiment, — any  thing,  in  short,  deviating  from 
entire  holiness, — is  actually  "  of  hostility  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion."  What  literary  production  would  escape 
ostracism  on  the  application  of  such  a  test  ?  While  we 
would  unhesitatingly  condemn  and  reject  portions  of 
the  writings  of  the  Shaftesburys,  of  Bolingbroke,  of 
Godwin,  of  Shelley,  of  Wolstonecraft,  of  Paine,  of 
Lessing,  of  Voltaire,  and  others  of  the  same  class, 
there  are  those  which,  though  they  incidentally  betray 
doctrines  somewhat  at  variance  with  the  theory  of 
Christianity,  it  is  evidently  expedient  to  tolerate.  And 
should  the  young  read  these  books,  we  are  always  at 


206  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

liberty  to  point  out  their  errors — to  administer  the  an- 
tidote.    The  second  general  rule,  then,  is, — 

2.  Standard  works  on  other  topics  shall  not  be  ex~ 
eluded  because  they  INCIDENTALLY  and  INDIRECTLY  be- 
tray the  religious  opinions  of  their  authors. 

There  is  a  third  class  of  literary  productions  which 
might,  perhaps,  be  generally  included  under  one  or  the 
other  of  the  above  heads,  but  which,  to  avoid  ambi- 
guity, will  be  separately  considered.  The  distinctions 
drawn  in  relation  to  the  two  preceding  rules  are  be- 
lieved to  be  sufficiently  clear  and  obvious  to  avoid, 
among  intelligent  persons,  any  necessity  or  great  dan- 
ger of  error  in  giving  them  their  true  application.  If 
any  portion  of  the  subject  must  be  left  involved  in 
doubt  or  obscurity,  let  us  confine  this  shadowy  region 
to  the  least  possible  limits.  The  class  of  books  now 
in  view  are  those  which,  though  ostensibly  written  on, 
other  topics,  not  only  incidentally  betray  religious 
biases,  but  so  far  digress  from  the  subject  which  they 
purport  to  treat,  as  to  abound  in  direct  defences  of  the 
religious  views  of  their  authors,  and  attacks  on  those 
of  other  persons ;  and  those,  whatever  their  theme, 
however  dispassionately  they  may  seem  to  be  written, 
however  free  they  may  be  from  direct  and  open  forms 
of  crimination,  which,  nevertheless,  hold  up  any  re- 
ligious body  to  contempt  or  execration,  by  singling  out 
or  bringing  together  only  the  darker  parts  of  their  his- 
tory and  character.  It  may  be  said  that  any  attempt 
to  separately  classify  such  from  those  treated  under 
the  second  rule  is  useless — that  the  point  would  al- 
ways, practically,  be  settled  by  the  caprices  or  re- 
ligious views  of  the  buyer.  There  is  certainly  such 
danger,  but  it  is  believed  that  the  line  of  demarcation 
can  be  traced  with  sufficient  distinctness  to  guide  those 
who  add  to  respectable  intelligence  an  honest  intent  to 
discover  and  observe  it.  Direct  illustration  will,  per- 
haps, be  the  readiest  method  to  throw  light  on  the  sub- 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  207 

ject;  and,  to  meet  the  point  explicitly  and  without 
reserve,  a  set  of  historical  facts  will  be  alluded  to>  the 
discussion  of  which  is  calculated,  perhaps,  above  that 
of  any  others,  to  arouse  the  feelings  and  prejudices  of 
two  great  divisions  of  the  Christian  world,  and  which 
have  really,  in  a  great  majority  of  instances,  formed 
the  subjects  of  the  works  whose  adoption  or  exclusion 
from  the  school  libraries  has  been  most  frequently  a 
matter  of  contest. 

Every  English  historian  must  speak  of  the  martyrs 
who  suffered  during  the  reign  of  Mary  :  he  has  a  per- 
fect right  to  express  sympathy  for  the  sufferer,  indig- 
nation against  the  tyrannical  monarch  ;  the  intelligent 
Roman  Catholic  now,  as  then,*  will  do  no  less ;  and 
this  alone  would  in  no  point  of  view  bring  such  his- 
tory under  the  denomination  of  a  "  sectarian "  one. 
But  Fox's  Book  of  Martyrs,  constantly  pointing  to,  and 
commenting  on,  the  enormities  of  one  religious  body, 
with  its  pictorial  embellishments  of  Protestants  suffering 
the  most  horrible  species  of  torture  and  martyrdom, 
would  as  clearly,  whether  the  narrations  contained  in 
it  are,  in  point  of  fact,  true  or  false,  come  under  the 
exclusory  rule.  No  Protestant,  assuredly,  would  claim 
that  a  parallel  work,  giving  a  history  of  the  Catholic, 
and  even  opposite  sects  of  Protestant  martyrs,  embow- 
eled, beheaded,  or  burned,  by  the  commands  of  the 
more  able  and  politic,  but  little  less  sanguinary  sister 
of  the  "•  bloody  Mary,"  and  by  other  Protestant  princes 
and  authorities, — particularly  if  illustrated  with  pic- 
tures as  unnecessary  to  establish  or  explain  facts  as 
they  are  revolting  to  good  taste, — no  Protestant  would 
claim  that  such  a  book  would  be  a  safe  or  suitable  one 
to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  his  children.  He  would 
fear,  and  justly,  that  enormities  characteristic  rather 

*  The  pope's  legate,  in  England,  remonstrated  against  the 
severities  practised  by  Mary. 


208  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

of  the  spirit  of  a  fierce  and  bloody  age,  than  of  any 
particular  religious  sect,  might  be  mistaken  by  the  im- 
mature mind  for  the  legitimate  and  necessary  fruits  of 
a  particular  class  of  tenets, — the  tenets  believed  by 
himself  to  be  the  true  ones, — and  that  it  might  thus 
implant  prejudices  which  it  would  be  impossible  to 
subsequently  eradicate. 

Let  us  adduce  another  illustration,  which  will,  per- 
haps, bring  this  subject  more  nearly  home  to  the  ma- 
jority of  us,  in  some  passages  from  the  history  of  our 
Puritan  forefathers.  The  noble  Puritan — free  as  the 
eagle  of  his  adopted  land — brave  as  a  lion  in  battle  ; 
who  had  trampled  on  the  feudal  chivalry  of  England 
at  Marston  Moor  and  Naseby,  and  now,  to  assert  his 
liberty  of  conscience,  his  "  freedom  to  worship  God," 
braving  the  dangers  of  unexplored  and  unhospitable 
climes — now,  with  heroic  fortitude,  shaking  the  "  depths 
of  the  forest's  gloom  "  with  his  "  hymns  of  lofty  cheer ; " 
and  now,  when  forced  to  unsheath  the  straight  old 
"Roundhead"  sword,  tracking  the  wily  savage  to  his 
lair,  through  wintry  forests  and  nearly  impassable  mo- 
rasses, with  a  nerve  more  iron  than  the  Spartan's, — the 
stout-hearted  Standish,  the  apostolic  Bradford,  the  sub- 
tle and  intellectual  Mather,  the  sagacious  Winthrop, — 
all  this  forms  a  picture  which  the  student  of  history 
will  ever  admire,  and  of  which  the  American  may 
justly  be  proud.  But  let  us  reverse  it.  Let  us  view 
the  Puritan  who  fled  from  the  persecution  of  the  weak 
and  tyrannical  Stuarts,  himself  turned  persecutor, 
driving  into  exile  the  equally  protestant  Baptist,  put- 
ting to  death  the  meek  and  uninterfering  Quaker,  be- 
heading captive  chiefs  in  cold  blood,  selling  his  Indian 
prisoners  into  slavery,  and,  lastly,  sinking — sinking  so 
ineffably,  not  only  below  the  standard  of  decent  hu- 
manity, but  of  decent  intelligence,  as  to  hang,  drown, 
and  burn  miserable  old  women,  on  the  paltry  plea  of 
witchcraft :  view  this  side  of  the  picture,  and  we  learn 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  209 

that  intelligence,  virtue,  and  even  sincere  piety,  are 
not  sufficient  safeguards  against  the  errors  which  grow 
out  of  the  spirit  of  the  age,  which  are  incidental  to  the 
different  epochs  of  a  developing  civilization.  Shall  the 
historian,  who  faithfully  portrays  the  errors  of  our 
forefathers,  he  excluded  from  the  school  library  ?  Cer- 
tainly not.  Apart  from  maintaining  the  truth,  we  want 
the  benefit  of  their  negative  as  well  as  their  better  ex- 
amples. But  let  us  suppose  a  work  written  expressly 
to  point  out  every  enormity  chargeable  to  the  Puritans ; 
hunting  up,  and,  as  it  were,  recoloring,  every  forgotten 
detail  of  their  errors ;  in  short,  exhibiting  the  subject 
only  on  one  side  ;  what  would  be  our  judgment  of  such 
a  production  ?  Would  we  not  spurn  it  indignantly 
from  the  school  library  ?  As  assuredly,  yes.  And 
if  some  overheated  and  visionary  religionist  should 
gravely  describe  all  these  enormities  as  the  necessary 
fruits  of  the  Protestantism  of  the  Puritans,  Would  not 
ridicule  and  contempt  take  the  place,  in  our  minds,  of 
any  soberer  condemnation  ? 

The  high-minded  and  magnanimous  Protestant  will 
feel  that 

"  The  quality  of  mercy  is  not  strained ; 
It  droppeth  as  the  gentle  rain  from  heaven," 

on  Catholic  as  well  as  Protestant ;  that  it  would  be  in- 
tolerant, as  it  would  be  unjust  and  unmanly,  to  ask  any 
immunity  from  laws  or  official  regulations  for  himself, 
which  he  would  not  as  freely  concede  to  Catholic,  or 
even  heretic — to  any,  in  short,  of  the  great  brother- 
hood of  civilized  man.  This  brings  us  to  the  third 
rule : — 

3.  Works,  avowedly  on  other  topics,  which  abound  in 
direct  and  unreserved  attacks  on,  or  defences  of,  the 
character  of  any  religious  sect ;  or  those  which  hold 
up  any  religious  body  to  contempt  or  execration,  by 
singling  out  or  bringing  together  only  the  darker  parts 
18 


210  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

of  its  history  or  character,  shall  be  excluded  from  tht 
school  libraries. 

Is  it  said  that,  under  the  above  rules,  heresy  and 
error  are  put  on  the  same  footing  with  true  religion ; 
that  Protestant  and  Catholic,  orthodox  and  unorthodox, 
U niversalist,  Unitarian,  Jew,  and  even  Mormon,  derive 
the  same  immunity  ?  The  fact  is  conceded  ;  and  it  is 
averred  that  each  is  equally  entitled  to  it,  in  a  govern- 
ment whose  very  constitution  avows  the  principle  of  a 
full  and  indiscriminate  religious  toleration. 

He  who  thinks  it  hard  that  he  shall  not  be  allowed 
to  combat,  through  the  medium  of  the  school  libraries, 
beliefs,  the  sin  and  error  of  which  are  as  clear  to  him 
as  is  the  light  in  heaven,  will  bear  in  mind  that  the 
library,  at  least,  leaves  him  and  his  religious  beliefs  in 
as  good  a  condition  as  it  found  him.  If  it  will  not 
propagate  his  tenets,  it  will  leave  them  unattacked.  If 
he  is  not  allowed  to  use  other  men's  money  to  pur- 
chase books  to  assault  their  religious  faiths,  he  is  not 
estopped  from  expending  his  own  as  he  sees  fit,  in  his 
private  or  in  his  Sunday  school  library ;  nor  is  he  de- 
barred from  placing  these  books  in  the  hands  of  all 
who  are  willing  to  receive  them.  His  power  of  mor- 
ally persuading  his  fellow-men  is  left  unimpaired  ;  nor 
will  he,  if  he  has  any  confidence  in  the  recuperative 
energies  of  truth,  if  he  believes  his  God  will  ultimately 
give  victory  to  truth,  ask  more.  In  asking,  or  conde- 
scending to  accept,  the  support  of  an  earthly  govern- 
ment, he  admits  the  weakness  of  his  cause,  the  feeble- 
ness of  his  faith.  He  leans  on  another  arm  than  that 
which  every  page  in  the  Bible  declares  all-sufficient. 
In  what  age  of  the  world  has  any  church  entered  into 
meretricious  connexion  with  temporal  governments, 
and  escaped  unsullied  from  the  contact  ?  Any  approx- 
imation to  such  connexion,  even  in  the  minutest  par- 
ticular ;  any  exclusive  right  or  immunity  given  to  one 
religious  sect  or  another  in  the  school  library  or  else- 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  211 

where,  is  not  only  anti-religious,  but  anti-republican* 
As  men,  we  have  the  right  to  adopt  religious  creeds^ 
and  to  attempt  to  influence  others  to  adopt  them  ;  but 
as  Americans,  as  legislators  or  officials  dispensing 
privileges  or  immunities  among  American  citizens,  we 
have  no  right  to  know  one  religion  from  another.  The 
persecuted  and  *  wandering  Israelite  comes  here,  and 
he  finds  no  bar  in  our  naturalization  laws.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Roman,  Greek,  or  English  church  equally 
become  citizens.  Those  adopting  every  hue  of  re- 
ligious faith,  every  phase  of  heresy,  take  their  place 
equally  under  the  banner  of  the  republic,  and  no  ec* 
clesiastical  power  can  snatch  even  "  the  least  of  these  " 
from  under  its  glorious  folds.  Not  an  hour  of  confine* 
ment,  not  the  amercement  of  a  farthing,  not  the  dep» 
rivation  of  a  right  or  liberty  weighing  "  in  the  esti- 
mation of  a  hair  "  can  any  such  power  impose  on  any 
American  citizen,  without  his  own  full  and  entire  ac- 
quiescence. 

I  have  been  more  ample,  perhaps  too  ample,  in  at- 
tempting to  explain  and  illustrate  this  subject,  in  all  its 
variety  of  attitudes,  because  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  far  more  misapprehension  exists  in  relation  to  it 
than  on  any  other  connected  with  the  selection  of 
books  for  the  common  school  libraries.  I  have  had 
occasion  to  require  the  removal  of  more  sectarian 
books  than  those  of  all  the  other  offending  classes  put 
together.  Narrow  and  unexpanded  views  have  too 
generally  prevailed.  Among  men  entertaining  every 
variety  of  erroneous  views  on  this  subject,  I  have  not 
failed  to  find  those  whose  intelligence  or  whose  chari- 
ty was  so  microscopic  in  its  dimensions,  that  they  have 
seriously  defended  works  from  the  charge  of  sectarian- 
ism, on  the  ground  that  in  assaulting  a  sect  on  what 
they  considered  the  wrong  side  of  the  dividing  line 
between  Protestantism  and  Catholicism,  orthodoxy  or 
heresy,  they  realty  attack  no  religious  body  or  sect  t 


212  MEHTAL   AND   MOBAL,   CULTURE. 

that  such  bodies  or  sects  are  entitled  neither  to  the 
name  nor  the  immunities  of  "religious"  ones  ! 

11.   Political  Books. 

The  propriety  of  utterly  excluding  every  work  of 
the  class  commonly  known  as  political  from  the  school 
libraries  is  so  obvious,  that  it  requires  neither  argument 
nor  comment.  The  rules  for  determining  what  works, 
in  which  the  claims  of  particular  political  parties  in 
the  United  States  are  at  all  alluded  to,  shall  be  admit- 
ted, should,  it  is  submitted,  be  identical  with  those  de- 
tailed under  the  preceding  head,  in  relation  to  theo- 
logical works.  Books  written  avowedly  to  attack  or 
defend  political  parties  should  be  excluded ;  histories, 
biographies,  or  other  works  incidentally  betraying  the 
political  predilections  of  the  writer,  may  be  admitted ; 
but  works  which,  though  even  ostensibly  on  other  top- 
ics, contain  repeated  and  direct  attacks  on,  or  defences 
of,  any  political  party,  should  be  excluded. 

Under  the  first  head  it  is  unnecessary  to  adduce  any 
examples.  The  arrogation  of  exclusive  patriotism  and 
sagacity  in  managing  the  affairs  of  state,  the  unsparing 
imputations  on  the  motives  and  acts  of  opponents,  so 
common  to  partisan  publications  in  all  countries,  are 
too  characteristic  to  be  mistaken.  This  class,  apart 
from  our  hebdomadal  publications,  which  no  one  would 
think  of  placing  in  a  school  library,  is  an  exceedingly 
small  one  in  American  literature.  We  have  few  pub- 
lications, put  in  the  form  of  books,  bound,  and  sold 
from  the  shelves  of  the  bookseller,  which  are  devoted 
directly  and  avowedly  to  the  discussion  of  partisan 
politics. 

Under  the  second  head  ranks  a  large  portion  of  our 
American  histories  and  biographies.  Among  authors 
of  reputation,  among  works  written  with  the  least  de- 
sign or  hope  of  securing  a  place  in  our  standard  litera- 
ture, but  few  exceptions  to  this  remark  can  be  pointed 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES*  213 

out.  This  branch  of  our  literature,  be  it  said  to  our 
honor,  has  imbibed  far  less  of  a  partisan  coloring  than 
in  England* 

In  the  third  class  are  some  lives  of  eminent  politi- 
cians, narratives  claiming  the  names  of  histories,  de- 
signed to  advocate  the  claims  of  politicians,  and  col- 
lections of  legislative  speeches,  which  advocate  the 
measures  of  particular  parties.  The  class  of  works 
more  specially  alluded  to  here,  are  those  which  are 
thrown  into  circulation  in  times  of  high  political  ex- 
citement, and  usually  with  the  design  of  influencing 
some  approaching  political  struggle. 

It  should  be  understood  that,  in  every  biography  or 
history  alluding  to  the  acts  of  eminent  men,  it  is  the 
license  of  the  author  to  give  the  character  of  his  sub- 
ject the  benefit  of  the  best  construction,  in  politics  and 
other  matters,  which  the  circumstances  and  events 
having  a  bearing  on  the  case  admit  of — if,  in  so  doing, 
those  circumstances  and  events  are  not  misrepre- 
sented, or  assaults  on  opponents  indulged  in.  The 
right  of  self-defence  is  as  sacred  in  regard  to  the  char- 
acter as  the  person  ;  and  the  only  restriction  on  a  just 
exercise  of  this  right  is  to  be  found  in  the  ancient  law 
maxim,  which  commands  us  "  so  to  use  our  own  as 
not  to  injure  another's."  It  is  not  meant  here  that  a 
great  and  good  man's  defence  shall  not  be  rendered 
complete,  merely  to  shelter  any  low  political  tool  or 
adventurer ;  but,  to  resort  to  direct  examples,  it  would 
be  in  as  bad  taste  and  as  improper,  as  it  would  be 
unnecessary,  to  attempt  to  upbuild  the  fame  of  Jeffer- 
son at  the  expense  of  that  of  Hamilton,  or  that  of 
Madison  at  the  expense  of  that  of  Jay.  In  political 
measures  were  they  divided ;  in  patriotism  and  integ- 
rity, between  them  there  was  no  division.  The  mas- 
sive and  logical  intellect  of  Hamilton,  the  more  ex- 
pansive and  advanced  philosophy  of  Jefferson,  arrived 
at  different  results,  led  to  different  political  measures ; 


214  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

but  that  man  is  un-American,  who,  because  he  coin- 
cides with  the  one,  would  disentomb  and  expose  to 
rude  scorn  the  ashes  of  the  other. 

Works  discussing  what  may  be  legitimately  termed 
politics, — that  is,  the  science  of  government, — and 
which  do  not  assume  a  partisan  character,  are  properly 
admissible  into  the  libraries.  The  Federalist,  Debates  in 
the  Virginia  and  New  York  Conventions,  the  disquisi- 
tions contained  in  M.  De  Tocqueville's  work  on  this 
country,  etc.,  come  under  this  head. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  have  never  found  a  work 
in  the  school  libraries  of  a  partisan  political  character. 

12.  Biography  and  History. 

Biography  and  history  may  be  properly  riewed 
under  the  same  head.  They  must  ever  form  a 
numerous  and  important  department  in  every  well- 
selected  general  library.  They  are  among  the  first 
books  which  should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
young,  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  useful  and  substantial 
reading,  as  well  as  for  the  purposes  of  instruction. 
Both  are  charts  laid  down  by  experience,  pointing  out 
the  safe  courses,  as  well  as  the  rocks  and  shallows,  of 
human  life.  Though  they  are  commonly,  to  a  consid- 
erable extent,  interwoven  with  each  other,  each  has  a 
separate  and  appropriate  sphere.  Biography  teaches 
hs  great  lesson  to  man,  more  particularly  as  the  indi- 
vidual ;  history  addresses  its  exhortations  and  admoni- 
tions to  him,  as  a  being  sustaining  relations  to  society 
and  to  government. 

The  first  place  has  been  assigned  to  biography, 
contrary  to  the  usual  custom  of  writing  and  speaking, 
not  without  design.  In  the  natural  order  of  things, 
we  should  assuredly  learn  the  wisdom,  the  experience, 
which  pertain  to  the  career  of  the  man,  preparatory 
to,  as  the  first  step  to,  learning  those  which  pertain  to 
the  career  of  the  citizen.  And,  accordingly,  by  what 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  215 

would  seern  a  wise  instinct,  biography  is  more  attrac- 
tive to  the  young,  and  its  teachings  more  readily  un- 
derstood, than  the  higher  and  more  complicated  ones 
of  history. 

It  would  be  but  a  repetition  of  stale  truisms  to  offer 
any  arguments  to  prove  the  importance  of  either  of 
these  branches  of  reading.  To  disregard  them  would 
be  an  exhibition  of  wisdom  on  a  par  with  that  of  the 
traveller  who,  called  upon  to  thread  his  path  amid 
pitfalls  and  precipices,  under  but  a  dim  and  uncertain 
light,  should  reject  the  proffers  of  the  friendly  guide 
whom  long  experience  had  rendered  familiar  with  the 
dangers  of  the  way. 

In  procuring  both  of  these  classes  of  books,  for 
the  smaller  school  libraries,  the  considerations  urged 
under  a  preceding  head,  in  regard  to  "  size,"  should 
not  be  lost  sight  of.  And  perhaps  there  is  no  depart- 
ment of  literature  that  admits  greater  latitude  of 
selection  in  this  particular.  We  should  equally  steer 
clear  of  voluminous  works  and  mere  compends.  If 
the  Universal  History  of  Rollin  would  be  thought  large, 
that  of  Tytler  is  entirely  too  brief  and  meagre.  If 
Bancroft's  United  States  is  too  elaborate,  the  smaller 
works  of  Hale,  Winchester,  and  others  of  the  same 
stamp,  designed  as  class-books,  would  be  insignificant. 
Giflies's  or  Mitford's  Greece,  Ferguson's  Rome,  and 
Gibbon's  Decline  and  Fall,  if  erring  on  the  one  side, 
would  be  but  illy  replaced  by  the  abridgments  of 
Goldsmith. 

The  class  of  histories  most  desirable  for  the  reader 
who  is  constrained  to  economize  his  time,  and  perhaps 
for  all,  are  those  which  may  be  termed  Philosophies 
of  History — those  in  which  the  principal  facts,  and 
the  philosophy  deducible  from  all  the  facts,  are  clearly, 
briefly,  and  nervously  recorded.  History  has  been 
often  defined  "  philosophy  teaching  by  experience." 
If  this  definition  is  a  true  one,  what  need  have  we  of 


216  MENTAL    AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

any  more  of  the  experience — in  other  words,  the  facts — 
than  just  sufficient  to  preserve  our  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  to  carry  strong  and  earnest  conviction  to  the 
mind,  that  the  philosophy  set  forth  is  clearly  deducible 
from  that  experience,  or  those  facts?  A  single  prob- 
lem demonstrates  a  principle  in  mathematics,  as  well 
as  a  hundred.  In  history  as  in  painting,  a  few  bold, 
vigorous  strokes  of  the  pencil  give  more  vivid  and 
direct  impressions  of  great  events,  and  the  actors  in 
them,  than  that  elaborate  art  which  finishes  every 
thing,  to  the  most  inconsiderable  object  in  the  back- 
ground— which  exhibits  as  much  care  and  skill  in 
painting  the  shoe-ties,  as  the  lineaments  of  the  prin- 
cipal figures. 

It  need  scarcely  be  observed  that  both  of  these 
departments  of  literature,  in  the  school  libraries, 
should  be  particularly  rich  in  American  subjects. 

13.   Works  of  Fiction. 

Strong  prejudices  exist  among  a  portion,  and  that 
the  best  portion,  of  our  citizens,  against  works  of  fic- 
tion, on  account  of  the  concededly  evil  tendencies  of 
a  portion  of  them,  the  frivolity  of  others,  and  that  dan- 
gerous fascination — especially  to  the  young  mind — 
which  invests  this  entire  class  of  productions.  It 
cannot  be  denied  that  their  perusal  too  often  begets  a 
distaste  for  more  substantial  literature ;  that  their 
effect  on  the  inexperienced  and  undisciplined  mind 
is,  to  infuse  into  it  romantic  and  exaggerated  views, 
and  to  divorce  it  from  the  practical  and  real.  The 
fancy  of  the  novelist,  like  the  machine  horse  of  the 
Arabian  tale,  carries  the  rider  to  empyrean  heights, 
and,  amid  the  dazzling  scenes  spread  out  around  and 
beneath  him,  the  bewildered  enthusiast,  like  Prince 
Firouz,  sometimes  finds  himself  unacquainted  with  the 
process  by  which  his  untiring  courser  can  be  com- 
pelled to  descend  again  to  earth.  Surely  it  is  not 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  217 

denied  to  us  to  cultivate  the  imagination — an  attribute 
bestowed  upon  us  for  wise  and  most  merciful  pur- 
poses ;  but  this  must  not  be  done  at  the  expense  of 
the  solider  qualities  of  the  mind.  Its  gorgeous  struc- 
tures should  not  be  built  on,  or  out  of,  the  ruins  of 
sober  judgment. 

Exaggeration,  however,  though  a  tendency,  is  not 
necessarily  a  property,  of  fiction.  The  substratum  of 
every  well-designed  work  of  fiction  is  truth — truth  to 
natural  and  moral  laws.  Novels  may  be,  and  fre- 
quently are,  rich  in  not  only  geographical,  scientific, 
and  historical,  but  in  moral  and  intellectual  teachings. 
Byron,  long  afterwards,  spoke  of  the  intense  interest 
excited  in  his  mind,  in  relation  to  Venice  and  her 
scenery,  by  the  vivid  picturing  of  Mrs.  RadclifTe. 
With  the  author  of  Waverley,  we  do  not  merely  read 
of,  but  we  seem  to  gaze  with  our  natural  eyes  on,  the 
most  striking  scenes  of  every  land  and  clime.  With 
what  admiring  wonder  will  the  forest  landscapes  of 
Cooper  be  studied,  when  the  Salvator  or  the  Titian 
features  of  their  originals  shall  alike  have  been  effaced 
by  the  axe  and  the  plough,  and  when  their  dark  abori- 
ginal groups  shall  find  no  longer  a  counterpart  among 
the  dwellers  of  earth! 

In  history  too — in  the  philosophy  of  history — works 
of  fiction  frequently  present  the  most  striking  delinea- 
tions. History  sometimes  degenerates  into  fiction; 
fiction  often  rises  to  the  dignity  of  history.  It  may 
well  be  questioned  whether  some  of  the  novels  of 
Scott  do  not  give  as  good  a  picture  of  the  times  which 
they  portray,  and  a  juster  conception  of  the  principal 
characters,  than  the  same  author's  history  of  Napoleon. 
When  the  novel  is  faithful  to  the  spirit  of  history, — 
when  it  utters  the  same  philosophy, — wherein  does  it 
fall  short  of  the  value  of  history  ?  We  read  not  the 
latter  merely  to  glean  its  naked  facts.  If  we  did,  a 
19 


218  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

chronological  table  were  equally  valuable,  and  cer- 
tainly of  far  more  rapid  and  convenient  reference, 
than  the  pages  of  Livy,  or  Tacitus,  or  Hume. 

The  dramatic  accompaniments  and  the  minute  de- 
lineations of  the  novel  admit  of  even  more  vivid 
representations  of  characters  and  events  than  can  be 
reached  by  severer  history.  The  novelist  is  re- 
strained by  no  cold  laws  of  narration.  He  intro- 
duces his  characters  acting,  breathing  before  us. 
Like  the  magician,  he  calls  up  the  distant  and  the 
dead ;  group  after  group  pass  before  us  in  his  magic 
glass;  and  now  the  strained  ear  seems  to  catch  the 
war-cry  of  crusading  hosts,  and  now  the  fierce  yell 
of  the  savages  breaking  forth  from  American  forests. 

Fiction,  too,  may  both  teach  and  impress  high  moral 
lessons.  The  Savior  of  mankind  taught  in  parables 
or  allegories.  He  taught  truth  by  fiction.  Rasselas, 
the  Vicar  of  Wakefield,  the  inimitable  Pilgrim's  Prog- 
ress, and  every  other  truthful  novel,  has  the  same 
end.  Rebecca  preparing  to  leap  from  the  dizzy 
turrets  of  Torquilstone,  or  surrounded  by  the  fagots 
in  the  lists  of  Templestowe,  teaches  the  lofty  lesson 
as  well  as  did  the  Roman  Lucretia ;  and  on  what 
page  of  history  will  republican  man  find  a  simpler 
and  nobler  model  than  in  Arnold  Biederman  ?  Shall 
we  regard  Cervantes  in  the  light  of  the  mere  novelist, 
or  the  teacher,  when,  with  one  stroke  of  his  mighty 
satire,  in  the  guise  of  a  romance,  he  clove  down  the 
chivalry  of  Spain  at  once  and  forever  ? 

The  design  of  these  remarks  is,  to  show  that  all 
works  of  fiction  are  not  to  be  judged  by  that  standard 
of  immorality,  frivolity,  or  sickly  sentimentality  which 
characterizes  the  mass  of  them ;  and  that  the  admis- 
sion of  a  few  of  them  into  the  school  libraries,  in  cer- 
tain circumstances,  and  under  judicious  restrictions,  is 
not  improper.  In  the  first  place,  they  should  only  be 
admitted  after  the  library  is  supplied,  to  an  extent 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  219 

which  may  be  reasonably  deemed  ample,  with  works 
of  a  more  sound  and  indispensable  character;  second, 
however  large  the  library,  their  number  should  be 
limited ;  and,  finally,  they  should  be  selected  with 
rigorous  discrimination,  and  only  when  their  character 
is  well  known.  When  admitted  into  the  libraries,  no 
discreet  and  reflecting  parent  will  fail  to  take  care  that 
they  form  not  the  first,  nor,  at  any  time,  the  principal 
reading  of  their  children. 

The  number  of  novels  and  romances  heretofore 
introduced  into  the  libraries  has  not  been  large  ;  but 
they  usually  have  been  of  a  secondary,  or  still  lower, 
literary  rank.  The  Scottish  Chiefs,  Thaddeus  of  War- 
saw, and  the  Children  of  the  Abbey,  represent  the  best 
class  of  them.  I  have  found  also  George  Barnvvell, 
Eliza  Wharton,  and  even  the  Three  Spaniards.  I  need 
not  say  that  their  removal  has  been  invariably  required. 

14.  Poetry. 

Poetry  and  fiction  are  cognate  in  many  of  their 
means  and  aims.  Both,  too,  have  invoked  the  loftiest 
and  best  impulses  of  our  nature  ;  both  have  stooped  to 
dabble  their  pinions  in  the  mire  of  passion  and  sensu- 
ality. The  influence  of  the  former  on  mankind,  in 
the  early  ages  of  the  world,  has  been  alluded  to.  We 
find  it  difficult  to  estimate  it  by  any  standard  to  be 
found  in  the  popular  susceptibilities  of  the  present  day. 
Our  times  are  those  of  "  calculators  and  economists." 
Reason  has  triumphed  over  imagination,  and  if  she 
permits  her  to  fly  at  all,  it  is  with  the  clipped  pinion 
of  a  bird  imprisoned  in  an  aviary. 

But  Poetry,  though  shorn  of  much  of  her  direct 
mastery  over  the  imagination  and  the  passions,  and  no 
longer  commanding  the  implicit  credence  of  man,  has 
not  lost  the  power  to  delight  and  instruct  him.  It  is 
common  for  men  of  gross  and  arithmetical  under- 
standings to  ask  what  are  its  uses.  It  is  common  to 


220  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CIJLTUKE. 

hear  its  introduction  into  the  school  libraries  objected 
to,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  frivolous,  that  it  teaches 
nothing.  The  Cardinal  Ippolito  d'Este,  on  receiving 
a  copy  of  the  Orlando  of  Ariosto,  asked  the  author 
"  where  he  picked  up  all  that  trumpery." 

Like  fiction,  Poetry  may  be  made,  and  is  often  made, 
the  vehicle  of  the  most  important  truths,  the  most  fe- 
licitous moral  and  physical  delineations,  the  highest 
and  most  effective  appeals  to  our  fallen  nature.  "What 
glimpses  has  she  given  us  of  the  quenchless  energies 
of  a  human  soul,  for  good  or  for  evil,  in  Dante's  inter- 
view with  the  shade  of  Farinata ;  in  Byron's  dark  por- 
traitures of  Cain  and  Manfred  ;  in  the  chained-do\vn, 
but  unconquerable  and  all-defying  man-god,  the  Pro- 
metheus of  .^Eschylus  and  Shelley  1  How  gloriously 
has  she  fanned  the  fires  of  devotion,  and  shadowed 
forth  man's  moral  destiny,  in  the  pages  of  Milton  and 
Young,  of  Cowper  and  He  mans  !  How  eloquently  has 
she  lent  her  powers  to  discourse  of  nature,  in  Virgil 
and  Thomson !  How  sweetly  has  she  sung  of  the 
joys  and  sorrows  of  simple  life,  of  lowly  man,  in 
poets  in  other  respects  as  dissimilar  as  Burns  and 
Wordsworth !  How  nobly  has  she  stood  forth  the  pa- 
triot in  the  burning  lyrics  of  Korner,  Campbell,  and 
our  own  Hopkinson !  She  has  appeared  the  historian 
in  Homer,  Tasso,  Camoens,  and  all  the  epic  poets  ; 
and  she  has  become  the  politician  with  Butler  and 
Trumbull.  Some  of  the  minor  poets,  like  Darwin  and 
Armstrong,  have  tamed  her  down  to  become  a  scien- 
tific lecturer  !  In  all  ages  she  has  occupied  the  chair 
of  rhetoric,  cultivating  the  literary  tastes,  and  improv- 
ing the  dialects  of  men.  Apart  from  their  other  ef- 
fects, the  influence  of  the  writings  of  Dante,  Ariosto, 
and  Tasso,  in  Italy  ;  of  Spenser,  Shakspeare,  and  Mil- 
ton, in  England  ;  of  Malherbe,  Corneille,  and  Racine, 
in  France ;  of  Lessing,  Schiller,  and  Gothe,  in  Ger- 
many, would,  in  this  single  particular,  more  than  vjn- 


COMMON   %CHOOL    LIBRARIES.  221 

dicate  the  claims  of  poetry  to  a  high  rank  among  the 
valuable  arts. 

To  even  the  utilitarian,  if  an  intellectual  one,  if  he 
counts  the  time  and  efforts  of  the  mind,  as  he  would 
those  pertaining  to  the  body,  Poetry  has  two  matchless 
recommendations.  She  produces  stronger  impressions 
than  prose,  and  she  does  it  in  fewer  words.  In  her  more 
impassioned  flights,  all  other  species  of  composition, 
even  oratory  itself,  sinks  cold  and  powerless,  compared 
with  the  thoughts  and  images  which  are  thrown  off, 
as  it  were,  molten  and  burning,  from  the  soul  of  the 
poet.  In  compression,  in  intellectual  density,  in  the 
power  of  expressing  volumes  in  sentences,  sentences 
in  words,  poetry  is  to  prose  what  carbon  in  the  dia- 
mond is  to  carbon  in  the  coal.  How  often  do  we  find 
this  exemplified  amidst  the  sombre  austerity  of  Young; 
the  cold  glitter  of  Pope ;  on  every  page  of  the  "  myr- 
iad-minded" Shakspeare  !  And  how  suddenly,  and 
with  what  little  apparent  effort,  does  poetry  penetrate 
to  the  very  fountain-heads  of  the  emotions  !  Like  him 
who  touches  the  electric  conductor,  we  feel  the  shock 
instantaneous,  invisible,  and  entirely  beyond  the  power 
of  any  inviting  or  resisting  volition.  It  runs  like  a 
fever-chill  over  the  shivering  nerves,  gushes  into  un- 
controllable tears  in  the  eye,  flashes  up,  in  the  dullest 
soul,  into  a  sudden  and  irrepressible  yearning  for  the 
great  and  lofty ;  and  again  and  again  is  the  same 
effect  produced  by  a  reperusal  of  the  passage ;  and 
yet,  if  we  turn  back  and  attempt  to  analyze  critically 
the  secret  of  its  power,  we  find  but  a  few  simple  words, 
which  every  schoolboy  uses — grouped,  too,  apparently, 
with  as  little  artifice  or  design  as  that  same  school- 
boy's prattle.  They  are  like  the  enchanted  towers  in 
the  "vale  of  St.  John,"  which,  when  approached  more 
nearly,  revert  to  shapeless  masses  of  unwrought  gran- 
ite. Read  the  Mason  of  Gothe ;  the  words  are  sim- 
ple and  few,  yet  Saurin,  ever  "  pointing  to  the  open 


222  MENTAL   AND   MORAL   CULTURE. 

grave,"  is  not  half  so  eloquent.  Who  ever  rose  from 
the  perusal  of  Wordsworth's  Tintern  Abbey,  or  Bry- 
ant's* Thanatopsis,  without  feeling  that  he  had  drunk 
in  the  moral  of  all  human  philosophy  ?  Milton's 
Comus,  Gray's  Elegy  written  in  a  Country  Church- 
yard, the  same  author's  wild  and  impassioned  Bard, 
Burns's  Cotter's  Saturday  Night,  Kirke  White's  Ode 
to  Genius,  as  well  as  innumerable  detached  passages 
which  might  be  cited  from  all  the  higher  poets,  fur- 
nish examples,  varying  in  intensity,  of  the  same  mys- 
tic power. t 

The  introduction  of  poetry  into  the  school  libraries 
should  be  placed  under  similar  regulations  with  the  in- 
troduction of  fiction.  It  should  form  but  a  subordinate 
department,  and  be  selected  with  the  same  scrupulous 
care.  I  am  happy  to  say,  however,  this  caution  is  less 
necessary  in  relation  to  American  poetry.  Fortunate- 
ly, few  of  our  American  poets  (or  our  other  writers) 
have  stooped  to  cater  to  depravity,  to  use  the  language 
and  call  up  the  associations  of  Cyprians.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  inquire  for  expurgated  editions  of  Bryant, 
Halleck,  Dana,  Sigourney,  Percival,  Willis,  Gould,  etc. 

*  How  deeply  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  one  who  has  few 
equals  among  his  contemporaries,  or  throughout  the  world, 
should  make  no  more  elaborate  efforts  for  his  own  and  his 
country's  literary  fame  ! 

t  And  among  these  chef  d'auvres  I  hesitate  not  to  name 
the  "  Camp-Meeting  Hymn,"  commencing,  "  O  Thou  in  whose 
presence,"  the  authorship  of  which  is  unknown  to  me.  Who- 
ever the  author  was,  he  was  no  stranger  to  the 

" ample  pinions 

Which  the  Theban  eagln  bear ;" 

indeed,  every  line  reminds  us  of  the  sublime  fire  of  Pindar. 
Although  this  religious  lyric  partakes  rather  of  the  character 
of  the  ancient  hymns  to  £he  gods,  where  love  assumed  some- 
thing of  a  material  and  human  form,  yet  he  who  has  heard  it 
uplifted  by  the  voices  of  thousands,  in  the  depths  of  an  Amer- 
ican forest,  will  feel  that  its  beauties  have  not  been  exag- 
gerated. 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  223 

There  is  now  scarcely  a  volume  of  poetry  of  any 
description  in  the  common  school  libraries  of  the 
county. 

15.  Miscellaneous  Books. 

It  is  not  proposed,  under  this  head,  to  discuss  the 
boundless  range  of  literature  not  included  in  preced- 
ing divisions.  It  were  impracticable,  within  reasona- 
ble limits,  and  it  is  unnecessary. 

A  well-selected  library,  for  general  use,  should  em- 
brace a  wide  variety  of  topics.  Men's  tastes  differ 
almost  as  much  as  their  persons.  Probably  every  one 
has  decided  mental  predispositions  or  biases,  devel- 
oped or  undeveloped ;  and  if  these  are  properly  ap- 
pealed to,  the  best  and  strongest  qualities  of  the  mind 
are  called  into  action.  Touch  the  wrong  cord  again 
and  again,  and  we  obtain  no  response.  Defoe's  Essay 
on  Projects  was  the  spear  of  Ithuriel  to  the  undisclosed 
energies  of  Franklin.  The  creative  genius  of  Shak- 
speare,  the  sublime  majesty  of  Milton,  even  the  vast 
and  all-embracing  philosophy  of  Bacon,  might  have 
failed  to  reach  these.  Malebranche  had  devoted 
himself  to  the  cloister.  An  accidental  opening  of 
Des  Cartes's  Treatise  on  Man  at  once  revealed,  what 
perhaps  was  as  little  known  to  himself  as  to  others,  the 
germ  of  philosophy  implanted  in  his  mind.  It  is  said 
that  he  dropped  the  book,  sick  and  overcome  with  un- 
controllable agitation  !  We  have  no  right  to  aver  that 
any  work  on  the  same  topic,  or  any  method  of  treat- 
ing it,  would  have  produced  the  same  effects.  Male- 
branche was  already  a  ripe  and  deeply-read  scholar, 
and  doubtless  familiar  with  philosophic  systems.  The 
waters  of  the  rivers  of  Damascus  may  be  as  healing 
and  limpid  as  those  of  the  Jordan ;  but  the  latter  can 
alone  work  the  miracle.  And  it  is  well  that  it  is  so. 
It  is  well  that  mind  has  a  natural  channel  through 


224  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

which  to  pour  its  energies,  and  that  it  seeks  that  chan- 
nel. A  literature  without  individuality  were  like  a 
landscape  in  the  midst  of  a  desert — one  vast  plain, 
stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  in  every  di- 
rection, in  dull  and  dreary  uniformity  and  lifelessness. 
If  there  is  one  thing  above  all  others,  if  we  except 
genius,  which  should  characterize  a  nation's  literature, 
it  is  individuality. 

Intellects  of  humbler  dimensions,  those  to  whom  it 
is  not  given  "  the  thought-throned  mind  to  please,"  are 
nevertheless  wrought  upon  proportionably,  expanded, 
and  called  forth  in  their  best  spheres  of  action,  by  con- 
sulting their  natural  and  strongest  biases.  Their  best 
treasures  are  disclosed,  be  they  of  clay  or  be  they  of 
brass.  And  by  suiting  a  great  variety  of  tastes,  mul- 
titudes are  induced  to  begin  to  read,  who  otherwise 
would  not.  He  who  begins  to  read  rarely  finds  his 
appetite,  pall  for  intellectual  food.  The  circle  of  his 
curiosity,  his  taste,  and  his  mental  yearnings  widens 
as  he  advances.  He  begins  by  climbing  the  molehill 
of  knowledge,  embraced  by  his  trivial  curiosity ;  he 
ends  by  surmounting  Alpine  heights. 

There  is  another  consideration  of  much  importance. 
Literature  should  not  only  be  selected  from  various  in- 
dividual sources,  but,  so  far  as  practicable,  from  vari- 
ous national  sources.  Reading  the  literature  of  one 
nation  exclusively,  we  become,  as  it  were,  a  literary 
colony  of  that  nation.  Has  this  not  been,  does  it  not 
continue,  too  much  our  relation  towards  England  ? 
Our  tastes  and  prejudices  have  been  all  imbibed  from 
her.  We  allow  not  other  nations  to  speak  for  them- 
selves ;  we  take  only  English  testimony  in  relation  to 
them.  Has  England  been  just  to  our  literature,  to  our 
institutions,  our  history  ?  What  right  have  we  to  infer 
she  will  be  more  just  to  other  nations  ?  What  Amer- 
ican smatterer  has  not  learned  his  English  lesson 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  225 

'that  the  Frenchman  is  gay,  polite,  shallow,  and  false- 
hearted?— that  the  German  is  dull,  superstitious,  and 
mystified  ?  It  is  true  that,  of  late,  it  has  become  fash- 
ionable for  English  critics  to  speak  in  high  terms  of 
the  literature  of  Germany,  and  to  yield  a  tardy  and  yet 
imperfect  measure  of  justice  to  the  literature  of  France  ; 
but  the  impressions  here  spoken  of  are  those  which  are 
derived  from  the  great  mass  of  English  popular  writers, 
her  essayists  until  quite  recently, — and  yet  a  portion  of 
them, — her  dramatists,  her  novelists,  and  particularly 
her  tale  writers  and  newspaper  critics. 

There  is  no  space  here  to  expose  such  shallow 
absurdities.  Because  Bohme,  or  Werner,  or  Novalis 
mystifies ;  because  Kant  transcends  the  ordinary  un- 
derstanding; because,  peradventure,  there  is  a  deeper 
and  more  reverential  awe,  a  stronger  congeniality  for 
the  vast,  for  the  dimness  and  indistinctness  which  hover 
round  the  confines  of  the  sublime,  in  the  great  Ger- 
man (Teuton)  mind,  than  characterizes  other  nations, 
is  it  a  necessary  sequence  that  all  Germans  write  only 
in  a  mystic  jargon  ?  The  "  gay  and  shallow  "  French- 
men now  lead  their  English  neighbors  in  perhaps 
nearly  every  department  of  science  and  philosophy ! 

But  this  is  not  the  point.  Our  quest  is  not  to  find 
the  greatest,  and  then  to  DOW  ourselves  down  at  the 
footstool  of  that  greatest.  We  wrong  ourselves,  deeply 
wrong  ourselves,  in  becoming  the  copyists  or  imitators 
of  any.  We  want  a  national  literature — an  American 
literature.  We  labor  under  disadvantages  in  this  par- 
ticular. Pallas,  when  she  sprang  mature  from  the 
brain  of  Jove,  could  have  brought  none  of  those  pecu- 
liarities acquired  among  the  influences,  the  peculiar 
and  moulding  circumstances,  of  childhood.  Our  litera- 
ture has  had  no  infancy  ;  it  is  an  offset  on  the  trunk 
of  that  of  England  ;  and  if  we  confine  ourselves  to 
English  authors,  English  models,  English  habits  of 


226  MENTAL    AND    MOKAL    CULTURE. 

thought  and  methods  of  expression,  our  literature  will 
always  remain  a  mere  offset. 

He  who  would  "drink  deep"  of  literature  should  go 
back  to  her  ancient  fountains ;  and  now  that  the  bar- 
riers once  interposed  between  them  and  the  many,  by 
a  dead  tongue,  are  broken  down,  there  is  no  reason 
why  all,  possessing  ordinary  education,  should  not  re- 
sort to  them.  It  requires  no  higher  training  of  the 
mind  to  understand  the  orations  of  Demosthenes  than 
those  of  Pitt,  or  Fox,  or  Burke ;  yet  neither  of  these 
equalled  the  great  Athenian,  or  can  scarcely  be  said 
to  have  approached  his  oration  "  On  the  Crown."  Fox 
sifted  his  subject  with  the  skill  and  logical  acumen  of 
a  giant  debater ;  Burke  brought  all  the  treasures  of 
literature  and  genius,  an  imagination  which  "  outshone 
the  wealth  of  Ormus  and  of  Ind,"  to  adorn  his  ;  but  if 
we  would  have  a  picture  of  a  subject  on  which  the 
Greek  orator  had  once  spent  his  force,  we  must  turn 
to  Burke's  own  description  of  the  ravaged  and  utterly 
desolate  Carnatic,  after  the  wasting  transit  of  Hyder 
Ali !  The  translated  orations  of  Demosthenes,  Cicero, 
and  TEschines ;  the  poems  of  Homer,  ^Eschylus,  Eu- 
ripides, Sophocles,  Virgil,  Horace,  and  Ovid  ;  the  his- 
tories of  Herodotus,  Thucydides,  Xenophon,  Sallust, 
and  Csesar,  can  now  all  be  purchased  for  a  few  shil- 
lings !  True,  they  are  translations,  and  it  is  very 
common  to  decry  translations.  But  even  in  perusing 
the  originals,  the  thoughts  come  home  to  all  ordinary 
scholars  in  the  dress  of  their  native  tongue ;  and  what 
ordinary  scholar  would  claim  that  he  could  translate, 
even  to  his  own  mind,  more  accurately  and  forcibly 
than  the  able  linguists — translators  as  celebrated,  in 
some  instances  more  celebrated,  in  literature,  than  their 
originals — who  have  given  us  the  ancient  writers  in 
our  own  tongue  ?  How  many  scholars,  of  any  stamp, 
would  be  likely  to  drink  in  the  beauty  of  the  original 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  227 

less  diluted,  than  Milton,  Dryden,  Pope,  Cowley,  Ad- 
dison,  Swift,  and  others  little  less  renowned  in  the 
catalogue  of  translators  !  I  am  far  from  recommend- 
ing that  the  Greek  and  Roman  classics  should  be 
placed  in  all  of  our  school  libraries ;  but  when  those 
libraries  grow  large,  when  they  are  called  upon  to  ad- 
minister to  the  intellectual  wants  of  well-read  and  cul- 
tivated men,  the  classics  will  always  find  an  appropri- 
ate place  in  them.  Among  the  mutations  of  literature, 
the  affectations  and  mannerisms  of  schools  and  cliques, 
these  will  form  perpetual  landmarks,  as,  amid  the  shift- 
ing sands,  the  pyramids  tower  unwasting  in  the  old 
Egyptian  sky. 

Within  the  last  few  years  there  has  been  a  great 
increase  of  popular  expositions  of  moral,  intellectual, 
and  natural  science.  Science  has  laid  aside  the  ped- 
antry and  the  technicalities  of  the  schools,  and  gone 
forth  beyond  the  walls  of  universities,  to  instruct  the 
Gentiles  of  the  world  of  learning.  True,  many  of 
these  expositions  fail  in  carrying  out  their  design 
properly ;  some  continue  to  soar  too  high ;  some  tink 
so  low  as  to  repel  by  their  puerility.  And  there  is 
another  very  common  mistake  among  the  writers  or 
compilers  of  these  works  ;  it  is,  to  make  them  mere 
catalogues  of  facts,  eduoible  from,  or  explained  by,  the 
given  science.  With  some  such  writers,  Science  as? 
sumes  the  charlatan  air  of  a  juggler  displaying  his 
mystic  feats  to  gaping  curiosity ;  with  others,  she  be-r 
comes  a  writer  qf  reoipes,  or  a  mere  announcer  of 
maxims.  Science  thus  degrades  herself  to  mere  art. 
It  is  quite  certain  that  we  should  never  lose  sight  of 
the  practical  and  useful  ;  but  we  in  reality  better  con- 
sult an  extended  utility,  by  not  only  giving  facts  and 
teaching  processes,  but  by  clearly  setting  forth  the 
principles  to  which  all  facts  or  maxims  are  referable. 
The  true  popular  exposition  of  a  science  is  that  which 


228  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

explains  its  principles  to  the  understanding  of  the  com- 
mon mind,  teaching  it  to  educe  or  refer  for  itself  all 
facts  which  it  may  seek,  or  which  come  within  the 
range  of  its  observation.  In  such  a  point  of  view, 
Science  never  degrades  herself  by  becoming  the  hand- 
maid of  man,  his  teacher  and  expounder  in  every  art 
and  handicraft,  in  every  department  of  the  realms  of 
mind  and  matter.  On  the  contrary,  this  was  her  des- 
tined vocation  from  the  beginning.  Science,  or  rather 
those  laws  which  it  developes,  were  created  for  man  ; 
for  him  were  laid  down  the  rules  which  guide  the 
changes  of  the  seasons,  seed-time  and  harvest ;  for 
him  every  agent  in  nature  performs  its  ceaseless  func- 
tions ;  for  him  were  established  those  wise  and  harmo- 
nious regulations  which  govern  his  physical,  moral, 
and  intellectual  being.  To  know  these  is  to  be  wise  ; 
to  obey  their  behests  is  to  be  happy.  Who  can  con- 
ceive of  the  grandeur  of  a  civilization  embracing  such 
elements,  diffusing  this  priceless  knowledge  through 
all  the  stratifications  of  society  ?  What  were  the 
aesthetical  civilizations  of  antiquity,  the  partial  and 
aristocratic  civilizations  of  modern  Europe,  compared 
with  this  ? 

The  three  great  divisions  of  science,  above  named, 
in  their  widest  sense,  would  perhaps  include  the  sub- 
jects of  nearly  all  books.  Without  assuming  that  they 
have  been  any  thing  more  than  alluded  to,  it  is  believed 
that  greater  space  cannot  be  properly  devoted  to  them, 
under  the  circumstances  in  which  they  are  here  dis- 
cussed. 

16.  Books  for  Poor-Houses  and  Jails. 

The  inmates  of  poor-houses  and  jails  are  not  ex- 
cluded, by  any  express  provision  of  the  law,  from 
sharing  in  the  benefits  of  the  school  libraries ;  but, 
failing  to  acquire  a  legal  residence  in  the  districts 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  229 

where  they  remain,  they  are  placed  on  the  footing  of 
other  transient  persons,  and  consequently  are  not 
allowed  to  draw  books. 

The  question  arises,  whether  an  exception  should 
not  be  made,  or  an  express  provision  added  to  existing 
regulations,  to  meet  these  cases.  This  question  re- 
solves itself  into  one  of  expediency,  in  relation  to  the 
prisoner ;  one  of  justice,  as  well  as  expediency,  in  re- 
lation to  the  pauper. 

The  ordinary  citizen,  who  floats  about  society  with- 
out acquiring  any  fixed  residence,  does  so  by  his  own 
voluntary  act.  Even  if  poor,  and  we  can  suppose  him 
unavoidably  driven  about  in  quest  of  labor,  there  is 
nothing  to  prevent  him  from  reading  books  drawn  by 
those  for  whom  he  labors.  When  not  engaged  in  toil, 
he  is  surrounded  by  the  agreeable  and  virtuous  influ- 
ences of  the  family  circle.  At  all  events,  he  is  brought 
into  no  contact,  unless  a  voluntary  one,  with  those  de- 
moralizing associations  which  call  for  constant  coun- 
teraction. But  he  who,  overwhelmed  by  irretrievable 
calamity,  or  prostrated  by  physical  infirmity,  seeks 
refuge  from  starvation  or  beggary  within  the  walls  of 
a  poor-house,  exercises  just  as  little  volition  as  the 
prisoner  who  is  dragged  to  a  jail.  No  myrmidon  of 
the  law  is  more  imperative  than  hunger !  No  inno- 
cent citizen  should  forfeit  any  right  or  privilege  which 
accrues  to  him  as  such,  except  by  his  own  voluntary 
act ;  and  surely  we  should  not  make  his  calamities  the 
pretext  of  stripping  him  of  the  little  that  remains  to 
him.  It  would  be  difficult  to  assign  a  reason  why  the 
aged,  the  halt,  the  blind,  and  the  decrepit,  should  not 
be  allowed  that  solace,  amidst  decay,'  suffering,  and 
misery,  which  is  held  forth  freely  to  the  happy  and 
affluent.  And  the  homeless  and  usually  orphan  chil- 
dren, who  are  drawing  their  first  impressions  of  life, 
their  first  lessons  of  character,  amid  the  noisome  sights 


230  MENTAL    AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

and  sounds,  the  polluting  atmosphere  of  a  poor-house,* 
have  an  equally  indisputable  claim  on  our  justice  and 
on  our  humanity.  They  are  as  much  the  children  of 
the  republic  as  those  who  are  born  to  competence  or 
affluence,  and  their  moral  and  mental  wants  are  great- 
er.! Shall  we  give  to  those  who  have,  and  withhold 
charity,  nay,  justice,  from  the  needy  ?  Is  it  the  part 
of  a  parental  government  to  administer  to  the  physical 
wants  of  the  youthful  pauper,  and  leave  him  to  a  moral 
and  mental  destitution  more  appalling  in  its  effects  ? 
Who  that  could  choose  for  his  own  offspring  would 
not  rather  consign  them,  early  and  unpolluted,  to  the 
dreadful  death  of  starvation,  than  have  them  trained 
up  in  grovelling  mental  and  moral  ignorance,  ripe 
and  predisposed  victims  for  the  brothel,  the  prison,  the 
gallows  ? 

In  relation  to  the  prisoners  in  our  jails,  if  innocent, 
books  would  prove  a  solace  and  a  shield  from  the  con- 
taminating influences  by  which  they  are  usually  sur- 
rounded ;  if  guilty,  they  would  have  a  tendency  to 


*  Perhaps  I  should  say  that  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that 
the  poor-house  in  this  county  is  as  well  managed  as  any  other 
in  the  state.  But  in  all  such  establishments  persons  of  weak 
and  disordered  mental  and  moral  faculties,  the  openly  vicious, 
and  those  who,  if  not  decidedly  vicious,  are  low  and  grovelling 
in  their  tastes  and  habits,  must  sometimes  be  admitted ;  and 
though  proper  police  regulations  may  prevent  overt  acts  of 
impropriety,  it  is  impossible  to  prevent  the  young  from  daily 
witnessing  and  coming  in  contact  with  much  that  is  calculated 
to  sink  and  deprave  them. 

t  Though  the  length  of  this  special  report  has  deterred  me 
from  enlarging  on  the  topic  in  my  general  report,  it  will  be 
readily  seen  that  the  reasons  here  adduced  will  apply  with 
equal  force  in  favor  of  providing  good,  at  least  decent  schools 
for  pauper  children,  and  not  leaving  them,  as  is  now  done, 
to  the  teaching  of  some  fellow-pauper,  unless  such  pauper 
teacher  can  obtain  a  certificate  of  qualification  from  the  town 
or  county  superintendent  of  common  schools. 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  231 

soften  and  reclaim  them.  Books  surely  would  prove 
more  profitable  companions  to  either  class  than  cards 
and  the  other  implements  of  games  of  chance.  The 
jail  in  this  county  is  frequently  empty  of  prisoners,  and 
rarely  contains  more  than  two  or  three.  Under  such 
circumstances,  I  have  seen  no  objection  to  allowing  the 
prisoners  the  use  of  the  books  of  the  school  district  in 
which  the  jail  is  situated.  (The  library  is  a  large  one, 
and  usually  contains  perhaps  fifty  books  beyond  the 
circulation.)  I  have,  therefore,  procured  the  consent 
of  the  proper  authorities  in  the  district  to  such  an  ar- 
rangement, and  the  engagement  of  the  jailer  to  ex- 
change and  take  care  of  the  books. 

The  loan  of  its  books  is  •  entirely  gratuitous  on  the 
part  of  the  district,  and  might,  at  any  time,  be  discon- 
tinued ;  and  in  many  counties  the  number  of  prisoners 
and  other  circumstances  would  render  such  an  ar- 
rangement impracticable  or  improper.  The  supply 
should  therefore  come  from  some  other  source. 

I  would  respectfully  suggest  to  the  superintendent 
that  he  recommend  to  the  legislature  an  amendment 
to  our  school  laws,  requiring  the  supervisors  of  the 
several  counties  to  raise  the  sum  of  $  ,  as  other 
school  moneys  are  now  raised  by  them,  which,  with 
an  equal  sum  paid  in  the  same  manner  and  from  the 
same  fund  with  the  common  school  library  moneys, 
shall  be  appropriated  to  the  purchase  of  a  library  for 
each  poor-house  and  jail  in  such  several  counties  of 
the  state.*  I  would  further  suggest  that  the  above 
blank  be  filled  with  a  minimum  sum  of  not  less  than 
$6,50  cents  for  each  jail,  and  $13,00  for  each  poor- 
house  ;t  such  sums  to  be  increased,  in  some  fixed 


*  With  some  separate  provision  for  cities, 
t  These  sums  (being  doubled  by  the  public  money)  are  be- 
lieved to  be  sufficient  to  purchase  at  least  twenty-five  volumes 


232  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

ratio,  in  proportion  as  the  inmates  of  these  establish- 
ments have  exceeded  the  average  number  of  for 
the  last  two  years.  To  insure  a  uniformly  judicious 
and  economical  expenditure  of  such  moneys,  I  recom- 
mend that  the  selection  of  these  books  be  given  to  the 
state  superintendent ;  that  the  boards  of  supervisors  of 
counties  be  required  to  provide  for  the  safe-keeping 
and  repair  of  such  libraries  ;  that  sheriffs  or  keepers 
of  poor-houses  be  made  responsible  for  losses  or  in- 
juries, unless  they  show,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
board  of  supervisors,  that  such  losses  were  beyond 
their  reasonable  prevention  or  control,  in  which  case 
the  county  shall  bear  the  loss  ;  that  the  sheriff,  or  his 
jailer,  and  keepers  of  poor-houses,  be  required  to  act 
as  librarians,  and,  as  such,  be  subject  to  such  rules 
and  regulations  as  the  superintendent  of  common 
schools  may  prescribe. 

17.   On  the  Propriety  of  publishing  a  Catalogue  of 
recommended  Books, 

The  selection  of  books  for  the  common  school  libra- 
ries is  given  to  the  trustees  of  school  districts ;  but  the 
state  superintendent,  and,  by  the  provisions  of  the  act 
of  1843,  the  county  superintendents,  have  power  to 
decide  against  books  remaining  in  the  libraries  which 
are  deemed  improper.  Although  it  is  notorious  that 
the  state  superintendent  has  often  exerted  this  power, 
and  although,  in  the  case  of  this  county  at  least,  it  is 
one,  the  necessary  exercise  of  which  has  never  been 
shrunk  from,  I  never  yet  have  heard  the  propriety  of 

and  a  case,  for  a  jail,  and  fifty  volumes  and  a  case  for  a  poor- 
house,  of  the  most  suitable  kind  of  books  for  such  purposes. 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  ascertained  that  the  super- 
visors of  the  county  of  Monroe,  at  a  recent  session,  appropri- 
ated $25  to  the  purchase  of  a  library  for  the  poor-house  of 
that  county. 


COMMON    SCHOOL    LIBRARIES.  233 

its  being  so  vested  in  a  single  instance  called  in  ques- 
tion. The  good  sense  of  our  people  has  not  failed  to 
show  them  that,  to  prevent  frequent  abuses,  a  super- 
visory jurisdiction  of  this  kind  must  exist  somewhere, 
and  they  have  seemed  content  to  leave  it  in  the  hands 
of  a  class  of  officers  chosen  especially  to  administer 
the  laws  generally  in  relation  to  our  common  schools. 

Trustees  who  purchase  books  for  districts  are  fre- 
quently men  who,  notwithstanding  the  good  sense  and 
public  spirit  which  may  belong  to  them  as  men  and 
as  school  officers,  possess  no  extended  acquaintance 
with  books.  In  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  instances, 
as  might  be  expected,  the  books  which  they  purchase 
have  not  been  previously  read  by  them.  They  are 
taken  on  the  specious  representations  of  the  vender, 
sometimes  the  itinerant  vender,  who  fills  his  case  with 
those  inferior  productions  which,  having  outlived  their 
popularity,  or  never  having  had  any  popularity,  can 
be  purchased  by  him  for  a  mere  trifle.  These  are 
sometimes  disposed  of  on  the  condition  that,  if  disap- 
proved of  by  the  state  or  county  superintendent,  they 
may  be  returned.  Should  they  be  so  disapproved,  the 
privilege  is  secured,  on  the  annual  return  of  the  seller, 
of  exchanging  trash  for  what  may  prove  worse  trash ! 
It  would  be  unjust  to  say  that  the  practice  of  crowding 
these  worthless  publications  on  trustees  is  characteris- 
tic of  all  itinerant  sellers ;  and  it  would  be  less  than 
justice  to  leave  it  to  be  inferred  that  such  practices  are 
confined  to  them.  A  very  large  number  of  books  so 
published,  if  erring  in  no  point  sufficiently  to  call  for 
the  exercise  of  a  power  which  should  always  be  so 
delicately  wielded  as  that  of  removal,  are  still  far  from 
b  'ing  of  that  literary  stamp  which  are  best  calculated 
to  elevate  and  refine  the  popular  taste. 

The  regents  of  the  university,  in  appropriating  funds 
fjr  the-  purchase  of  academic  libraries,  require  the 
20 


234        MENTAL  AND  MORAL  CULTURE. 

trustees  of  these  institutions  to  select  the  books  from 
a  catalogue  which  is  furnished  by  the  regents,  or,  if 
others  are  desired,  a  list  of  them  must  first  be  submit- 
ted to  and  approved  of  by  the  regents.  The  function 
of  these  officers  is  analogous  to  that  of  the  state  su- 
perintendent, and  no  reason  is  perceived  why  the 
same  right  to  control  the  purchase  of  books  should 
not  be  vested  in  one  head  of  department  that  there  is 
in  the  other.  Substantially,  there  is  no  wide  disparity 
in  the  right  now  vested  in  each ;  but  there  is  this 
distinguishing  feature— one  manifests  its  power  be- 
fore such  purchase,  the  other  subsequently.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  decide  that  prevention  is  always  bet- 
ter than  cure. 

I  am  not  prepared  to  recommend  that  the  superin- 
tendent of  common  schools  shall  assume,  authorita- 
tively, to  control  the  selection  of  the  books  admitted 
into  the  school  libraries.  It  might  not  be  proper,  and 
I  do  not  believe  it  necessary.  If  the  mere  opinion  of 
that  functionary  were  known  in  relation  to  particular 
books,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  it  would  have 
great,  paramount  weight,  with  those  feeling  diffidence 
in  their  own  ability  to  decide.  All  discreet  and  right- 
minded  men  would  regard  with  proper  respect  the  de- 
liberately expressed  opinion  of  the  superintendent.  A 
list  or  catalogue  of  approved,  and,  if  thought  expedient, 
disapproved  books,  published  by  such  authority,  would, 
it  is  believed,  soon,  and  without  a  particle  of  coercion, 
guide  the  purchases  made  in  almost  every  school  dis- 
trict in  the  state.  In  regard  to  the  disapproved  list,  at 
least,  those  disposed  to  be  contumacious  could  not  but 
know  that,  if  advice  failed,  authority  could  be  employed 
to  enforce  it. 

The  task  of  preparing  such  a  catalogue  would  be  a 
most  responsible,  a  most  onerous  one.  But  he  who 
enters  upon  the  office  of  superintendent  of  common 


COMMON    SCHOOL   LIBRARIES.  235 

schools  voluntarily  assumes  the  full  measure  of  this 
responsibility ;  for  there  is  not  a  day,  during  his  term 
of  office,  in  which  he  may  not  be  called  upon,  in 
the  ordinary  discharge  of  his  official  duties,  to  decide 
upon  the  propriety  of  admitting  any  book  which  is  to 
be  found  in  print  into  the  school  libraries.  The  prep- 
aration of  such  a  catalogue  would  doubtless  consume 
time.  It  could  not  be  anticipated  that  it  would  be 
made  full  in  the  first  instance.  Additions  could  be 
from  time  to  time,  or  annually,  made  to  it.  The  most 
profound  and  erudite  reader  could  scarcely  decide, 
without  reperusal,  on  many  of  the  works  already  read 
by  him  without  reference  to  so  particular  and  impor- 
tant an  end.  And  supposing  his  examination  to  be 
brought  down  to  the  present  day,  it  would  doubtless 
require  no  small  degree  of  diligence  to  keep  pace  with 
the  daily  advance  of  literature.  Great  as  would  be 
this  whole  task,  however,  it  is  one  which  could  be 
met,  particularly  were  the  superintendency  of  common 
schools  disconnected  from  the  labors  and  duties  of  the 
office  of  secretary  of  state.  Inferior  capacities  and 
inferior  energies  would  start  back  from  a  task  so  Au- 
gean. But  he  who,  with  moral  and  intellectual  ca- 
pacities adequate  to  appreciate  the  responsibilities  and 
influences  of  the  station, — influences  to  the  young,  to 
the  future,  and  to  our  country,  compared  with  which 
that  wielded  by  whole  generations  of  governors  dwin- 
dles into  insignificance  ; — he  who,  feeling  the  entire 
weight  of  this  responsibility,  nevertheless  dares  to  as- 
sume it,  should  not  weigh  his  time  nor  his  efforts  by 
the  ordinary  standard  of  official  industry.  We  stand, 
unless  Hope  has  mistaken  her  own  intensity  for  pro- 
phetic foresight,  in  the  very  transition  era  of  popular 
education,  popular  intellectual  and  moral  civilization. 
He  to  whom  it  is  given  to  lead  in  this  work  should 
superadd  to  the  industry  of  the  official  the  zeal  of 


236  MENTAL   AND    MORAL    CULTURE. 

the  philanthropist,  and,  if  need  be,  the  self-sacrificing 
spirit  of  the  martyr. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

HENRY  S.  RANDALL, 

Co.  Superintendent  Common  Schools,  Corttand  County. 
CORTLAND  VILLAGE,  Nov.  1, 1843. 


PUBLISHED     BY 

C.  S.  FRANCIS  &  CO.  NEW-YORK; 


AND 


J.  H.  FRANCIS,  BOSTON: 


BookM  nppiopr  ale  for   School   District  I.ibrnrif*. 


LIBRARY  OF   ENTERTAINING  AND 
USEFUL  READING: 

Comprising  the  following  twelve  volumes,  large  18mo.   288 
pages  each,  namely, 

1,  The  Mirror, 

EXTRACT  FR»M  CONTENTS.  Cemeteries  and  Burial  in  Turkey.  In- 
formation concerning  Barley,  Bread,  Vermicelli,  Brewing,  Charcoal 
Coul  anil  dial  mines.  Anger  and  .Madness.  Account  ol  Benares,  Basle, 
Highlands  and  Islands  of  Scotland,  Owyhep  nnd  its  Volcano,  Lieste, 
Londonderry  and  its  famous  Siege,  Luxor  nnd  its  Ruins,  Alalvern  Hilli, 
Thebes  and  its  Ruins,  Karnak,  and  its  Temples,  Society  Islands,  &<•.. 
Anecdotes  and  Tales  of  Bonaparte,  Addison,  iliirkc,  Bishop  Hull,  Jen- 
per,  Irving,  Johnson,  Lavater,  Locke,  Alungu  Park,  Wilherforce,  &c. 
Old  Castles,  namely,  Dunvejan,  Ennnn  Uowan,  Shirhourn,  &c.  Dia- 
logue between  a  clergyman  and  Deist.  Druidicul  Remains.  Old  Ca- 
th&lraU,  Kly,  St.  David'a,  &.F..  Clock  at  Rouen.  Druidical  Cromlechs. 
Wild  IJessts,  Rhinoceros,  Elephant,  Lemming,  &.C.  Gypsies.  History 
of  writing.  Natives  of  Swan  River.  Skating  Soldiers  of  Norway.  iN'uiues 
of  StreeU.  With  23  Engravings,  including  the  following  : — 


Procession  at  a  Turkish  Funeral. 

Etruscan  Vases. 

Hop  pickhis. 

Huts  of  the  Charcoal  Burners. 

Skating  Soldiers  of  Norway. 


Ruins  of  the  Memnomum. 
The  Lemming. 
Colossal  Statue  at  Thebes. 
The  Tolmen,  or  Druid  Stone 
ftunvogan  Castle. 


2,  The  Cabinet. 


EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENT*.  Thebes,  its  origin  and  rise,  extent  and 
intcenal  arrangement,  hundred  gatea,  its  splendor,  decline  and  ruin,  in- 
habitants, grandeur  of  iU  ruins,  &.c.  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Irish 
Peasantry.  Abstinence.  Affectation.  Agricultural  operation*.  Useful 
Arts  describee'.  History  of  the  Battle  of  Cressy  ;  of  China  and  its  cus- 
toms ;  ol  the  Full*  of . \iugara;  French  Gypsies  ;  Hindoo  Pilgrims;  Lean- 
ing-Tower of  Siiragossa  ;  Lion  of  Africa  ;  Beaver  H-it  manufacture  ; 
Usefulness  of  Birds  ;  Causes  of  the  Earth's  fertility;  Crops,  tlifir  pres- 
ervation, &c.  Experimental  Science;  Feats  of  strength  ;  Fortitude  of 
Women  ;  Mexico,  its  creat  temple,  idolatry  of  the  people,  magnificence 
of  the  King,  Imnirgcd  by  the  .Spaniards,  mode  of  writing  &.c.  Voyage 
on  the  Mississippi.  Newcastle  Coal  Trade,  &c.  &.C.  With  Engravings, 
among  which  are 


Steamer  at  a  wooding  xtuluin. 
Eltlmir   I'alarc.— .\orris  Castle. 
Rorkine  Ftonp. 
Uitfsii-Kippi  overflowing. 


French  Gvpsiep. 
Russian  Travt-iler. 
Interior  of  n  Windmill. 

I'liilns  ol'  Clfssy. 


The  Casket 


EXTRACT  FROM  COXTB*T».  On  Gardening,  Floth-ds,  Potntop«,  OarnVa 
Vegetables,  Salad  herlx,  f^ic.-,  rick  I.  >,  M;!;ar,  &.<•.  V.  i.UU-y.  Ultra- 
marine.  Customs  of  thi-  Turku,  Russian  Peasnnfry,  AT.  I'alm-tn  f*. 
Castle  of  Pull/..  Bridge*  ot  I'.riuun,  Frniirc,  and  Komc.  Planetary 
System.  Poisonous  I'ianU.  Mohamt-Jan  l.enl.  Miiunt  Islands  :-hoe« 
and  their  various  forma.  Snakes  of  CVylon.  Highwayman.  Library  at 
Constantinople.  Travels  in  A'eufouiulluiid  Coiivuni*.  Cathedral*. 
Aqiieductii.  History  of  Ceylon,  nnturnl  and  rivil.  Proper  mode  of  ta 
king  exercise,  &c.  With  Engravings,  among  them  the  following. 

Various  Forms  of  Shoe*. 


DM  Mat  hew  Hopkins. 

Large  Flowering  Sensitive  Plant. 

CormorariU. 

The  Soland  Goose. 


Roman  Acqueduct. 
Mi-Ion  Franir. 
Olive  Oil  Mill. 
I'agoua  at  Barrackpore 
Southwark  Bridge. 

4,  The  Treasury, 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS.  Natural  an, I  Civil  History  of  Oylon  ;  the 
Natives;  Booilhism  ;  Trial  by  Jury.  &.<•..  r'u^ar  Maple.  Covetinffs  of 
Animals.  Hifltory  of  the  Arch.  Arabia  and  Mixrhn.  \ttnr  of  Roo^n. 
Fall  of  Babylon.  Instinct  of  Birds.  The  Hermit  of  Switzerland.  Ca- 
thedral' of  Caen  and  Saragossa.  Colombo  in  Ceylon.  Debt  ami  Mis- 
ery. Division  of  Labor.  Convent  at  Saragoasa.  Female  Fortitude. 
Festival  of  the  Buirain.  Mo  !e  of  measuring  heights.  Mauufucture  of 
Pottery.  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Turks.  Mexico,  account  of  the 
modern  city,  its  streets,  cliurches,  police,  population,  tec.  Hotbpds, 
Hothouses,  Conservatories,  &.c.  Woman,  the  solace  of  man.  Robert 
Raikes.  Poisonous  Plants,  &.o.  With  Engravings  ;  among  them  the 
following. 


Church  of  Guadalupe,  Mexico. 

Vi«>»  of  Mocha 

Native*  of  Ceylon. 

V.ew  dfColunilio. 

M-iisnring  Heights  and  Distances. 


Different  Cider  Mills. 
Potters  at  Work. 
Festival  of  tho  Bairam. 
Street  in  Kouen. 
Harbor  of  Havre. 


5,  The  Budget, 


Palace  of  the  Excurial. 
The  Coffee  Tree. 
The  Dropping  W--1I. 
Watrr  Clock* 
Likeness  of  Chi  id. ton. 


Fishermen. 

The  Portuguese  Man-of-War. 
'         ;i.--ir*  Clnirrli,  Mo»cuw. 

an.!  Femal"  of  X.  S.  Walei 
of  Kairheud. 


6.  The  Repertory. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTEXTS — An  account  of  the  city  of  Venice,  giving  a 
history  of  its  origin,  rise,  greatness,  ami  decline,  with  a  description  of 
the  interior  of  the  city  and  the  most  remarkable  public  and  private  build- 
ings. Excursion  in  Arabia.  Cathedrals  of  Auxere  and  of  Kirkwali. 
Cordova  in  Spain.  Elephants,  and  the  manner  of  catching  them.  Black- 
birds. Errors  and  superstitions.  Corroboree  Dance  Gizzard  in  birds. 
Hiitory  and  description  of  Kirkwali.  Man  overboard.  Mines  of  Great 
Britain.  Mermaid.  Voice  in  man  and  animals.  Passenger  pigeon  of 
America.  Account  of  oysters,  muscles,  and  cockles.  Greek  island*. 
Useful  arts — the  ox  and  cow  ;  milk  and  butter  ;  making  cheese.  Account 
of  the  sheep,  goat,  and  hog.  Wanderings  in  the  American  forests,  ic. 
Ate.  &.C.  With  THIRTT-THBCC  ENGRAVINGS,  including  the  following  :— 

Bridge  of  Sighs,  Venice.  Nutives  of  N.S.Wales. — Churns. 

Mural  Palace  at  Venice.  Human  head  and  organs  of  voice. 

Colonnade  and  Library  at  Venice.    Roman  Coin. — The  Mermaid. 

Uuins  of  Launceston  Castle.  Inclined  Plain  and  Railway. 

Portrait  of  Sir  Francis  Bacon.       j   Mushrooms. — Cheese-Press. 

Druidical  Stones. — Sheli  Pish.     I   Coiroborcu  Dance  of  M.  S.  Wale*. 


7.  The  Tablet 


EXTRACT  FROM  CONTEXTS — Account  of  the  city  of  Brussels,  its  history, 
situation,  and  climate,  streets,  squares,  parks,  palaces,  public  buildings, 
manufactures,  &c.  with  a  description  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  Agri- 


.  - 

pan.    Allahabad   in   India.     Description  of 
inun  fowl  ;   the  'urkey  and  Guinea  hen  ;  thr 


Place  Uoyale,  Brussels.  Crystals  of  Snow. 

Botanic  Garden,  Brussels.  The  Sumach. 

Indigo-works  in  S.  America.  Crossbows  and  Arrows. 

Diamond  Cutting  and  Polishing.  Night  Scene  in  N.  8.  Wains. 

Carlisle  Castle.  Dunluce  Castle. 

Town  Hall  at  Boulogne.  Throwing  the  Lasso. 

Barnacles.  Modifications  of  Cloud*. 

8.  The  Memorial. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENT? — Account  of  the  city  of  Rome;  fU  history, 
origin,  rise,  and  decline  ;  Description  of  thu  neighboring  country,  the  river 
Tiber,  interior  of  the  City,  walls,  gates,  and  buildings.  Adventure  on 
the  sea  of  life.  Account  of  the  Alderney  Cow.  Bangor  Cathedral.  Sa- 


Morocco.     Criminal  Law  of  China.     Cruelty  to  animals.     Sir  Humphrey 
Davy.  &.c.  Sec.     With  many  ENGR»»I; *<;«,  including  the  following- — 
Castle  of  St.  Anitelo,  Rome."  Mackerel  Fishery.— Lancashire  Ox. 


St.  Peter's,  and  Bridge  of  St.  Ane«lo 
Paper  Mulberry. — Foxglove  Plant. 
Great  Bird  of  Paradise. 
Market  Crni*s  at  Devizes. 
Giraffe*  or  Caim,  lopards. 
Street  in  Dieppe. 


Alderney,  Lancashire,  and  Holder- 

U".-«  Cow*. 

Poi'ilcr,  Mastiff,  and  Greyhound. 
Natives  climbing  trees,  N.3.  Walof. 
Hunting  L>  opards  in  India. 
Sulphur  burning  in  Sicily. 


9.  The  Gleaner. 


EXTRACT  FSOM  CONTESTS — Further  account  of  lh«  city  of  Venice,  the 
churches,  bridge  of  tin:  Kialto,  library  of  .-t.  Murk,  the  Campanile,  Ti- 
tian's house,  inquisition  of  itate,  gondolas,  commerce.  Account  of  the 
principal  suspension  bridges  in  the  world,  with  the  method*  of  construc- 
tion. Bristol  Cathedral.  Cader  Idris.  Cassava  and  Tapioca  Carrier 
Pigeon.  Chinese  mode  of  manufacturing  Porcelain.  Mile*  Coverdale, 
and  his  translation  of  the  Bible.  Divining-rod.  Eagle  and  her  young 
Economy  of  Trees.  Exercis  •  of  the  lungs.  Fly  in  Turnips  Hal  ley 'i 
Comet.  Properties  of  heat.  Microscopic  Vegetation.  Nourishment  and 
growth  of  animals.  Trade-Winds,  &.c.  THIRTY  Engravings,  including — 


Shooting  a  Tiger. 

The  Bell  Bird. 

Rope-rtiidge  in  India. 

Menai  Suspension  Bridge. 

The  Coypou  or  Neutra-lur  Animal. 

Forest  Trees  in  N.  S.  Wales. 


I-arge  African  Antelope. 
Ancient  Egyptian  Pottery. 
Egyptian  Potters  at  Work. 
Remarkable  Rock  in  Wales. 
Holy  island  Castle. 
The  Dogana  at  Venice. 


10.  The  Emporium. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTESTS — Account  of  the  city  of  Berlin,capital  of  Prussia, 
its  origin  and  growth,  its  capture  by  the  French,  its  streets,  bridges,  gates, 
houses,  squares,  palaces,  churches,  university,  nnd  other  public  buildingx, 
manufacture  arid  commerce.  Agriculture  in  Sicily.  Anecdote  of  an  Arab. 
Arabs  and  their  horses.  Bass  Rock.  First  translation  of  the  bible.  City 
of  Bruges.  China  and  the  Chinese.  Confucius.  Education  ol  the  blind. 


I   Portrait  of  Melancthon, 
The  Orang  Outang. 
River  Missouri. 
The  Bass  Rock. 
Collecting  Assafoetida. 
Weapons  of  N.  S.  Walei. 
Two-toed  Sloth. 
Water  Spout  at  Sea. 


__lry  by  Brya..., ,  _..„_ 

Brandenburgh  Gate,  Berlin. 

The  Date  Tree. 

Tombs  at  Ghafeepore. 

Gigantic  Salamander. 

Duck  Bills. 

The  Chinchilla. 

The  Seal. 

Fog  in  the  Arctic  Regions. 

11.  The  Selector. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENT! — Account  of  the  city  of  Rome,  the  ruins,  theil 
materials  and  style  of  building,  the  Mamcrtine  prisons,  the  great  sewer, 
Quirinal  bill,  the  ford,  &.C.  Abbey  of  Glastonbury.  African  god  of  th« 
wood.  Ancient  mode  of  burial  Anecdotes  of  Abbas  the  great ;  Sir  E. 
Urlmat ;  a  Persian  miser  ;  a  dog.  Biography  of  Cowper  ;  of  Erasmus.  De- 
velopement  of  the  faculties.  Full  of  the  Staubark.  Hacho  king  of  Lap- 
land. Mohammed  AH  pacha  of  Egypt.  Natural  history.  Whale  fishery. 
Wreck  of  the  Quail.  Extracts  from  Addisun,  Bacon,  Burke,  Coleridge, 
Combe,  Hooker,  Johnson,  Kirtiy.Lowth,  Paley,  South,  Southey,  De  Stael, 
Swift,  Turner.  Poetry  by  Finn,  Peabody,  Remans,  fee.  &.c.  &c.  With 
TWENTY-SEVEN  Engravings,  including  the  following  : — 


Lion  and  Buffalo  Fight. 
Monkey  picking  the  Crow. 
Glastonbury  Abbey. 
Women  of  N.S.WaJes  weeping 

over  a  Grave. 
Mohammedan  Fakeer. 


lirahminee  Bull. 

Implements  used  in  Whale  Fishery 

The  Greenland  Whale. 

Next  of  the  Harvest  Mouse. 

Whale  'i  ossing  a  Boat. 


12.  The  Galaiv. 


EXTRACT  FROM  CONTK«T» — Tour  through  the  Highlands  and  Islands  of 
Scotland;  manne  s  and  customs:  tin-  herring  fishery;  salmon  fishery; 
Inverness.  Anecdotes  ot'a  genera!  officer  ;  a  German  Professor  ;  Dr.  Bar- 
row ;  Smeaton  the  engineer  ;  electric  eel ;  the  wild-biid-catclier  ;  ants  ; 
Kirkner  the  astronomer;  lluher  the  naturalist.  Education  of  liulfinches. 
Method  of  weaving  carpets.  Cataract  of  LoJure.  Dead  sea.  Electricity, 
galvanism,  magnetism.  English  farmers  in  Australia.  Fakeers.  Fall  of 
Locusts.  Lac-insect.  Light.  Manners  of  the  Anglo-Saxons.  Monkeys 
in  N.  S.  Wales  Nr ufcliatel.  Forest  trees.  Upium  and  opium  eaters. 
Pernicious  effects  of  spirituous  liquors.  Poisonous  vegetables.  Queen 
Elizabeth.  Ravages  ol  insects.  Storm  in  Portugal.  Useful  arts — brick- 
making,  bricklaying,  masonry.  Wasps  and  bees.  The  weather — the 
rainbow,  the  aurora,  shooting  stars,  and  meteors  Wild  bird  catching, 
&.c.  &.c.  i.n.  TWENTY-SIX  ENGRAVINGS,  including  the  following : — 


Perilous  leap  of  a  Bird-catcher. 

The  Hemlock. 

Ceylon  Deer. 

Electro-magnet. 

Stone  Sawing. 

Honker  of  N.  S.  Wales. 


Brickmaking 
Bricklaying. 
The  Spruce  Fir. 
The  Ash. 
The  Willow. 
Scotch  Fir. 


LIBRARY  OF  INSTRUCTIVE  AMUSEMENT 

luciudes  the  following  Six  Volumes  of  336  pages  each, 
ISitio. 

13.  The  -Young  Man's  Evening  Book. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS — Account  of  Pompeii;  Advanta- 
ges of  the  diffusion  of  Knowledge  ;  Adventures  ;  Anecdotes 
of  Dr.  A.  Clarke,  of  the  Dog,  Goat  and  other  animals  ;  ol 
blind  persons,  of  Hume,  Hogg,  Curran,  Putnam,  Sheridan; 
Camels  ;  Elephants  ;  Ingenuity  of  the  Chinese  ;  Clever 
women;  Cocoa;  Clove;  Curious  river;  Decision  of  Char- 
acter ;  a  Derbyshire  tale  ;  Deafness  ;  Destructive  shell ; 
Dragon  Tree;  Driving  wild  cattle;  Duels;  Earthquake  at 
Lisbon  ;  Egg  oven  ;  Fascination  of  Serpents  ;  Fearful  ad- 
venture ;  Gaming  houses;  Good  breeding;  Good  provi- 
dence of  God  ;  The  Aloe  ;  Town  of  Muscat ;  Horns  of 
Cattle;  Hunting  the  Zebra ;  Icebergs;  Influence  of  the 
Moon;  Irish  Bull;  Ispahan;  Kentucky  sports ;  Duration 
of  life  ;  Manufacture  of  glass  ;  Mountain  travelling  ;  The 
Mississippi ;  Palmyra  ;  President's  house  ;  Printing  and 
stereotyping;  Sugar  cane;  Religious  education  of  chil- 
dren; Russian  justice;  Scenes  among  the  Indians;  Sce- 
nery on  the  Ohio  ;  Snuff-taking  and  smoking  ;  Poetry  by 
Bryant,  Wilson,  Cornwall,  Moore,  Dale,  Sands,  Southey 
Tortoise  catching;  Tornadoes:  Tour  from  the  Pacific  M 
the  Atlantic  ;  Whale  fishery  ;  Wild  sports,  &c.  &c. 
ILLUSTRATED  BY  FIFTY  ENGRAVINGS. 


14  The  Winter-Evening  Book. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS. — Abbotsford  ;  Abbreviations  and 
signs;  Air  arid  exercise  ;  Anecdotes;  Architecture  of  birds; 
Art  of  writing  ;  Attraction  ;  Bridges  ;  Buffalo  light  house  j 
Camphor ;  Charlotte  Corday ;  Constantinople  ;  City  of 
Dublin  ;  Biography  of  Canova,  Burke;  Garden  in  ships  ; 
Growth  of  plants  ;  Guillotine  ;  Gymnastics  ;  Hall  of  the 
Jacobins;  Hints  to  Talkers:  InJigo ;  Italian  banditti; 
Lapland  skate  runners  ;  Lytbography  ;  Lowell  ;  Martyr- 
dom of  St.  Vincent ;  Mechanical  power;  Meteors;  Mon- 
key's bread ;  Montreal ;  Nest  of  the  canary  ;  New  Zeal- 
anders  ;  Persecution  of  genius  ;  Pet  monkey  and  sailors  ; 
Pickpockets  ;  Place  Vendome  ;  Planting  ;  Poisons  of  the 
ancients;  Popular  errors  in  medicine;  Progress  of  Amer- 
ica ;  Pronunciation  ;  Railways  ;  Ravages  of  Locusts  ;  Re- 
markable travels ;  Road  of  the  Simplon  ;  Capt.  Ross  ; 
Sago;  Saturday  evening:  Sea  Otter;  Secretary  bird; 
Treatment  of  sprains  ;  Trumpeter  bird  ;  Turkey  Vulture  : 
Turnip  bread  ;  Use  of  forks  ;  &c.  &c. 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  SIXTY-ONE  ENGRAVINGS. 


15.  The  Summer-Day  Book. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS — Agricultural  Hymn  ;  American 
Herculaneum  ;  Oak  ;  Ancient  Britons  ;  Ancient  mounds  in 
the  west ;  Antiquities  of  Gautimala;  Artificial  opening  in 
the  stomach  ;  Bathing  ;  Bird  architecture  :  Bread  ;  Burn- 
ing water  ;  Camel  Fights  :  Camphire  tree  ;  Caravan  in  the 
desert ;  Carnauba  tree  ;  Cherokee  Indians  ;  Chestnut  tree  ; 
Impolicy  of  rearing  dogs;  Lorenzo  Dow  ;  Education  in 
the  United  States  ;  Fig  ;  Flowers  and  music  ;  Farinaceous 
food  ;  Fossil  ;  Exhilarating  gas  ;  Sketches  of  Georgia  ; 
Mackarel  fishing;  Madras  and  the  monsoons;  Mahogany 
tree  ;  Mangrove  ;  Mis-education  ;  Mutations  of  the  Alpha- 
bet ;  New  England;  New-Haven;  History  of  newspapers  ; 
New-Zealand  ;  Paper  from  corn  husks  ;  Philosophy  of 
clouds  and  lightning  ;  Poi  bird  ;  Poisonous  honey  ;  History 
of  Portland  ;  Presence  of  mind ;  Progress  of  knowledge  ; 
Jane  C.  Rider  the  somnambulist ;  Robin  Hood ;  Roman 
emperor  atid  empress  ;  Sailing  matches  ;  Scenes  in  India  ; 
Street  education  ;  Substances  used  fur  food;  Does  sugar 
injure  the  teeth  ;  Sweet  potatoe  ;  Tattooing  ;  Tobacco  and 
snuff-taking  ;  Tragacanth  ;  Tropical  fruits  ;  Winter  in 
Russia  ;  Wooden  pavement ;  &c.  &c.  &c. 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  SEVENTY-TWO  ENGRAVINGS. 


16.  The  Every-Day  Book, 


EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS. —  American  Antiquities  :  Ancient 
customs  in  New  England  :  Animals  in  peat :  Astonishing 
memory  :  Bathing  :  Book  of  health  :  Burning  green  wood  : 
Cabinets  of  natural  history:  Carder-bees:  Carrying  bur- 
dens on  the  head  :  Catherine  I.  of  Russia  :  Chamois  hunt- 
ing :  Chimneys  :  Cigar  factory  :  Clean  your  teeth  :  Colise- 
um of  Vespasian  :  Consumption  of  poultry  in  Paris  :  Con- 
stantinople :  Discoveries  earlier  than  Columbus  :  Discov- 
eries of  Columbus  :  Education  of  the  eye  :  Egyptian 
mummies:  Eminent  shoemakers:  Esquimaux  Indians: 
Extraordinary  abstinence :  Female  education .  French 
Kevolution  :  Fuel  and  fire  :  Giraffe  :  Gypsies  :  Heat  of  the 
body  :  History  of  a  New  England  town  :  Iceland  moss  : 
Indian  funeral :  Indian  relics  :  Influence  of  cities  :  Intem- 
perance: Long  evenings  :  Monopolists:  Mountain  railing: 
Omai  the  Otaheitan  :  Organic  remains  :  Polytechnic  school 
at  Paris  :  Pompous  processions  :  Popular  science  :  Remi- 
niscences of  Philadelphia:  the  Rothschilds:  Saturday  night  : 
Savage  weapons  and  ornaments  :  New  Orleans  in  1938 
School-meeting  dialogue  :  Silver  mines  :  Social  wasp's 
nesls  :  Lion's  tongue  :  Tenderness  to  animals  :  Tribute  to 
Lafayette :  Turkish  Libraries :  War  dress :  Warm  bathing : 
City  of  Washington  :  Western  hunting :  Whimsical  horse  : 
&c.  &c.  &c.  SEVENTY-ONE  ENGRAVINGS. 

17.  The  Parlour  Book. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS. — American  forest  trees  and  an- 
tiquities :  Audubon  :  Augustus,  Virgil,  and  Horace  : 
Roger  Bacon  :  Bathing  :  Religious  uses  of  blood  :  Showers 
of  blood  :  Building  and  architecture  :  City  of  Candy  :  Edu- 
cation of  cats  :  Chameleon  :  Diet  of  Chinese  :  Clouds  : 
Spontaneous  combustion:  Domestic  Animals:  Dreams: 
Eider  Duck  :  Village  of  Economy .  Eel :  Strange  effect  of 
fear:  Fox  and  wolf:  Gaza:  Gratitude:  Heroine  of  the 
Sierra  Morena :  Herring  fishing :  Human  happiness 
Humming  bird  :  Hyaena  .  Italian  sleep  walker :  Joan 
D'Arc  :  Mechanics  Institution  :  Errors  in  medicine  :  Music: 
How  to  become  a  naturalist :  Oratory  :  Ferdinand  Mendez 
Pinto  :  Pompeii :  Pottery  :  Ratnah  :  Rice  :  Savages  of  N. 
America  :  Sculpture  :  Seasons  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  : 
Fascination  of  serpents:  Shoes  and  buckles  :  Star  gazing  : 
Sensibility  of  vegetables  :  Wants  of  mankind  :  Watering 
places  :  &c.  &c.  &c.  TWENTY-SEVEN  ENGRAVINGS. 


18.  Leisure  Hour  Book, 

CONTENTS — Absence  of  mind;  African  hemp  plant;  Ame- 
rican fishes  ;  Artizan  well ;  Migration  of  bees  ;  Beet-root 
sugar  ;  Burtpore  ;  Camel ;  Cholera  ;  Chronometers  ;  Coal ; 
City  of  Columbus  ;  Comets ;  Conquest  of  Peru  ;  Cooking  by 
gas  ;  Echoes  and  sound  ;  Education  of  the  blind  ;  Elephant 
hunting;  Embalming;  Entomology;  Esquimaux;  the 
Eye  ;  Dr.  Francia.  dictator  of  Paraguay  ;  Gambling  ;  Her- 
culanetim  ;  Heron  ;  Himalaya  mountains  ;  Hydrostatic 
press ;  river  Jordan  ;  Lama ;  Light  and  heat  in  animals  ; 
Light  in  Water;  Metallic  balloons;  Ornithology;  Pepper 
trade;  Pompeii;  Biography  of  Rittenhouse,  Capt.  Ross, 
Roger  Sherman  ;  Scotch  bagpiper  ;  Shooting  Stars  ;  Steam 
engine;  Steel  pen  and  quills ;  Gall  flies;  Tupai  Cupa,  the 
New  Zealand  prince  ;  Tea  and  tea  trade  5  Tremont  house  ; 
Tulips;  Vegetation  of  the  Pampas;  Vesuvius;  Walking 
pump;  Mechanism  of  the  watch;  Water  wheels;  Water 
clock  ;  &c.  &c.  &c.  FIFTY-FIVE  ENGRAVINGS. 

19.  Belzoni's  Tr?veis  in  Egypt, 

On  FRUITS  OF  ENTERPRIZE,  exhibited  in  the  ADVENTURES  OF 
BELZONf  in  Egypt  and  Nubia;  with  an  account  of  his  discoveries  a- 
mong  the  Pyramids,  in  the  ancient  Tombs,  among  the  Ruins  of  Templei 
and  Cities,  in  the  Deserti",  and  on  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea  ;  related  in 
a  very  interesting  manner,  and  illustrated  by  copperplate  engravings. 
SiiMMiny  OK  CONTENTS. — The  Pyramids.  Winds  of  the  Desert.  Cairo. 
Bashaw's  amusements.  Hydraulic  machine.  Voyage  up  the  Nile.  Ruins 
of  Thebes.  Interior  of  the  caves.  Deceit  of  the  Arabs.  Wreck  on  the 
Nile.  Opening  the  temple.  Embarkation  of  the  young  Memnon.  Tem- 
ple at  Karnac.  Mummy  caves  at  Gournou.  Habitations  and  marriages 
in  the  caves  of  Gournou.  Sand  wind  of  the  Desert.  Temple  opened. 
Great  tomb  opened.  Visit  to  the  Pyramids.  Journey  to  the  Red  Sea. 
Inundation  of  the  Nile.  Pompeii.  Adventures  in  the  Desert.  Singular 
fishing  in  the  Red  Sea.  Exploit  of  sailors  with  a  kite.  Pompey's  pillar. 
Descent  of  the  cataract.  Hyaena.  Bedouins,  <tc.  &c.  &c. 

20.  True  Stories  from  Ancient  History, 

Chronologically  Arranged,  from  the  Creation  of  the  World  to  the  Death 
of  Charlemagne.     By  a  Lady.     With  Engravings. 

SUMMARY  OK  CONTENT*. — Creation  of  the  world.  Babylon.  Egypt.  Sem- 
iramis.  Sesostris.  Sparta  Helena.  Paris.  Lycurgus.  Carthage.  Rome. 
The  Sahines  Numa.  Athens.  Theseus.  Ariadne.  Horatii  and  Curiatii. 
Draco.  Solon,  j^sop.  Cyrus.  Confucius.  Kings  of  Rome.  Marathon. 
ArUtiiles.  Brutus.  C'oriolanus.  Xerxes.  Leoniilas.  Cincinnati!*.  Vir- 
ginia. Poricles.  Alcibiadcs  Socrates.  Xenophon.  Camillus.  Rome 
oaved  by  geese.  Epaiiiinor.das.  Tormjatu*.  Philip  of  Macedon.  De- 
mosthenes. Alexander  the  Great ;  his  successors.  Punic  wars.  Hanni- 
bal. Archimedes.  Cntaline.  Cicero.  Con-]ur»t  of  Britain.  Anthony 
and  Cleopatra.  Birth  of  Christ.  Destruction  of  Jerusalem.  Plutarch. 
The  SaiiicpiiR,  Gotlis,  Celts,  and  Huns.  Ogeian.  Constantino.  Julian. 
Picts  and  Scot*.  Attila.  Franks.  King  Arthur.  Venice.  Mohammed. 
St. Aujju'tine.  Charlemagne,  Sec.  &c. 


&  22.  Around  the  World 


A  NARRATIVE  of  a  Voyage  in  the  East  India  Fquadron  under  Com 
George  C  Read.  By  an  officer  of  the  (.'.  S.  Navy,  2  vula.  1-Jino.  A 
Very  interesting,  well  written,  and  spirited  account  of  life  on  board  a 
man-of-war,  and  adventures  in  various  countries,  during  a  voyage  round 
the  world. 

SUMMARY  OF  CorrrrwTS.  —  At  tea—  Interior  of  the  frigate.  Cockpit  philos- 
ophy. Tacking.  Treatment  of  the  mariners.  Krligious  worship.  Sab- 
bath influence*.  The  bruve,  good  sailor.  A  thur.der  squall.  Burial  of  a 
sailor.  Land  ho  !  Madeira  —  Funchal.  Our  lady  of  the  mountain.  The 
old  Padre.  Climate  of  Madeira.  Santa  Clara  convert.  The  nun.  Bull 
at  the  consul's.  Wines.  Rambling  in  Funchal.  The  floating  meadow. 
'Weathering'  at  sea.  The  southern  stars.  Crossing  the  line.  Rio  de 
Janeiro  —  Edifices.  Hobbers.  Public  institutions.  The  legrocs.  Con- 
vent. Cathedral.  The  palace.  Departure.  Schools  at  sea.  A  gale. 
Cape  of  Good  Ho]te  —  Bad  omens.  Madagascar  —  Lunar  rainbow.  Yankee 
navigation.  Telling  yarns.  A  shipwreck.  Swimming.  i?hark  story 
Sabbath  schools.  Heading  sailors.  Human  the  Hindoo.  Arab  pilot. 
Arabia  —  Discovery  of  coffee.  Muscat  —  the  Bazaar.  Arabian  women. 
Bedouin  camp.  Moslem  fidelity.  The  only  murder.  Zamibar  —  Inhabi- 
tants. Amusement)*.  The  sultan.  The  harem.  Arabian  hospitalities 
Hindustan  —  Revolutions.  Heroes.  British  policy.  Palankeen  ride-  Hin- 
doo chicanery.  Central  school.  Native  school.  Hindoo  fpists.  Brah- 
mins. Horrid  murder.  Mosque.  Indian  luxuriance.  Klephanta.  Lithic 
elephant.  Goa.  Pungee  village.  Inquisition.  Portuguese  frigate.  Cey* 
Ion  —  BudhUm.  Environs  of  Colombo.  City  of  Kandy.  Snake  charmer. 
Orang  Outang.  Jack  as  a  marine.  Sumatra  —  Bombardment  of  (lualhih 
liattoo.  Landing  at,  and  capture  of  Muckie.  Treaty.  Account  of  the 
inhabitants.  Prince  of  Waits  Island  Malacca.  V\  ater  spouts.  Singa- 
pore —  Climate.  A  tradition.  Temples.  Eastern  Archipelago.  Plantation*. 
Chinese  customs.  Wives  of  ins  majesty.  A  burial.  China  difficulties. 
China  —  Macao  bay.  Mr.  Beale's  garden.  Street  scenes.  The  camp. 
Temples.  Funeral.  A  shot  at  the  Junks.  Missionaries.  Medical  mis- 
sions. Scenes  in  and  about  Canton.  Chinese  foreign  relations.  Portu- 
guese and  Dutch  in  China.  Opium  rrada.  The  Tafoong.  U«h'i.  Taheitt, 
Queen  Pomarn  Chile.  Valparaiso.  Adventures  in  and  about  Santiago. 
Peru.  Lima.  Callao.  Passage  round  Cape  Horn.  Arrival  at  Boston. 

Illustrated  by  Steel  Plate  views  of  city  of  Muscat,  and  of  the  Destruction 
of  Muckie  by  the  American  Ships. 

23  &  24.  Zenobiai  or  Fall  of  Palmyra, 

In  Letters  from  Lucius  M.  PUo  to  his  friend  Marcus  Curtius  at  Rome. 
2  vols.  12mo. 

This  work  must  be  ranked  as  a  modern  classic,  it  is  a  model  of  style  and 
gives  a  beautifully  written  and  animated  description  of  life  and  manner* 
in  the  magnificent  city  of  Palmyra,  during  the  reign  of  its  famous  queen 
Zenohia,  when  it  WHS  beseiged  and  taken  by  the  Romans  under  the  emper- 
or Aurelian,  soon  after  the  introduction  of  Christianity.  The  North  Am- 
erican Review  says  of  this,  that  it  is  '  one  of  the  most  brilliant  additions 
to  American  literature.' 

25  to  28.  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  Walter  Scott 

By  his  Son-in-Law,  J.  G.  LOCKHART.  In  four  thick  volumes,  full 
bound. 

A  biography  of  thil   wonderful  man,  which  should  be  made  accessible  to 
every  reader. 


29.  History  of  Sandford  and  Merlon, 

By  Thomas  Day,  Esq.  A  new  edition  of  tliis  excellent  work,  revised 
throughout,  and  embellished  with  a  large  number  ot  engravings. 
ETTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS. — Meeting  of  Harry  landlord  and  Tommy  Mer- 
ton.  Importance  of  education.  Stories  of  the  flies  and  the  ants.  Th« 
'gentleman  and  the  basket  maker.  Story  of  Cyrus.  Account  of  the  Russian 
sailors  on  the  island  of  Spitsbergen.  The  elephant.  House  building. 
Grateful  Turk.  Disappointment?  and  difficulties  overcome  hy  thought  and 
perseverance.  Crocodile,  lienrs  and  monkeys.  Education  of  animals. 
Laplanders,  neimleer.  Surprising  cure  for  the  gout.  Tommy  and  Harry 
in  a  snow  storm.  Persons  buried  in  the  snow.  Mechanics.  Arithmetic. 
Astronomy.  History  of  Agosilaiis  Lcondidas  of  Sparta.  The  conjurer 
Mariners'  compass.  Greenland.  Kamschatkx.  Teleneope.  Magic  Lantern, 
Optics.  Tommy  and  Ihe  dog  Cesar.  Greenlander's  duel.  Bull-baiting 
!?tory  of  Polemo.  Sophron  and  Tigranes.  Tommy's  expedition  on  hone 
back.  Adventures  in  the  vvil.is  of  America.  Bailies  wilh  the  Indians. 
Effects  of  gunpowder,  &.c.  &.c.  tc. 

30  to  S9  Parley's  Magazine. 

In  ten  large  square  volumes,  replete  with  valuable  reading  for  the  young 
tr  portion  of  the  community.  It  is  filled  principally  with  original  matter 
prepared  expressly  for  the  instruction  and  amusement  of  young  people, 
and  with  regard  to  their  advancement  in  knowledge  and  usefulness.  It 
forms  a  most  attractive  and  useful  series  of  volumes.  The  contents  are 
EO  extensive  and  various  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  give  any  list  of 
them  in  an  advertisement.  An  examination  of  the  work  itself  must  satis- 
fy every  one  of  its  admirable  adaptation  to  the  objects  had  in  view  in  it» 
preparation.  The  ten  volumes  contain  nearly  tiro  tttuusand  engravings 
And  considering  its  size  and  the  quantity  of  matter,  it  is  one  of  the  cheap- 
est Ixioks  ever  published.  fgT  It  is  still  regularl)  published  in  Monthly 
Numbers,  at  one  dollar  a  year  *f% 

$3~  The  Books  numlwred  1  to  12  are  just  published  ;  those  from  13  to  18 
have  Iwen  introduced  into  many  School  District  Libraries ;  and  we  can 
adduce  the  commendation  of  Hon  KDWARU  EVERETT,  and  others  of 
excellent  judgment,  to  the  value  of  these  volumes. 

SECOND  SERIES. 


40.  The  Principles  of  Morality, 

And  the    Private   and    Political    RIGHTS    and    OBLIGATIONS    of 
.Mankind.       By  Jo.tiTHAK  DYMOSD.  Edited  by    CAROLIXC   M. 

KlRSLAM). 

CONTENTS — Essay  I.  Moral  obligations.  Standard  of  right  and  wrong.  The 
will  of  God.  Subordinate  standards.  Moral  and  religious  obligations.  Di- 
vine attributes.  Virtue.  Scripture.  Morality  of  the  three  dispensations. 
Benevolence.  Conscience.  A  moral  sense.  l.nw  of  the  land,  of  nature,  of 
nation*,  of  honor.  Utility.  Ex*ay  11.  Religious  obligations  Sabbatical 
institution*.  Pro|wrty.  Litigation.  Arbitration.  Legal  practice.  Promises. 
Lies.  Oaths.  Immoral  agency.  Influence  of  indivi.lunls  on  public  opinion. 
Education.  Amusements.  Duelling  Suicide.  Self-defence.  Exmy  III. 
Political  truth  and  rectitude.  Political  power.  Civil,  political  and  relig- 
ious liberty.  Obedience.  Forms  of  government.  Party.  Moral  Legislation. 
Justice.  Subject*  of  penal  animadversion.  Ends  of  Punishment.  Punish- 
ment of  death.  Religious  establishments.  Patriotism.  Slavery.  Wai. 


41,  A  New  Home—Who'll  Follow? 

Or  Glimpses  of  WESTERN  LIFE.     By  MBS.    MJUIT  CLAf«w,    an 
actual  Settler.    (  Mis.  C.  M.  Kirkland.  ) 

42  &  43.  Forest  Life7 

By  the  Author  of  "A  New  Home." 

THESE  are  two  of  the  most  spirited  and  original  works  that  have  yet  been 
produced  in  this  country.  The  real  enjoyments  of  life  in  the  new  Stales, 
are  set  torth  in  their  truo  colours;  but  the  real  inconveniences,  and  an- 
noyances, and  sacrifices  which  belong  to  it,  are  not  extenuated.  They 
give  a  simple  picture  of  a  home  on  the  outskirts  of  civilization,  and  pre- 
sent us  with  an  unvarnished  tale  of  the  lile  of  an  emigrant.  They  are  a- 
musing  in  the  extreme,  and  the  reader  may  almost  fancy  himself  in  Mich- 
igan, paiticipating  in  the  pleasures  and  troubles  of  the  fair  authoress. 
Half  an  hour  with  one  of  these  books  id  like  half  an  hour's  chat  with  one 
of  our  pleasant  western  kinsiblk. 

44  Letters  from  New  York, 

By  LVDIA  MUUA  CHILD. 

CONTESTS. — The  Battery  Streets  of  modern  Babylon.  YYasliingtonian*. 
Street  music.  Law  of  love.  Dog-killers.  Sectarian  walls.  Ideas  of 
God.  Poor  woman'*  garden.  Society  makes  the  crime  it  punishes.  Ho- 
boken.  YVeehawken.  Hamilton's  duel.  Indian  sarcasm.  Highland  be- 
nevolent society.  Jews.  Old  clothes.  Reading  by  lamplight.  Rev. 
John  Summerfield.  Speculations.  Greenwood  cemetery.  Mourning. 
The  shipping.  Yankee  boy  and  his  acorn  The  Kamschatka  and  Belle 
Poule.  Kavenswood.  Grant  Thorlmrn.  Changing  population  of  New 
York.  Absent  men.  Bug-piper.  Beautiful  burial.  Eloquent  preacher. 
Zeek  the  slave.  New  Year.  Past  and  future.  Music.  Caution  to  re- 
former*. Scenery  within  the  soul.  Valley  de  sham.  Truth  in  act.  For- 
eign boys.  Newspaper  hoy.  Drunken  woman.  Burying  ground  for  the 
poor.  McDonald  Clurke.  Great  fire.  Jane  Plato's  garden.  Money  is 
not  wealth.  Doves  in  Broadway.  The  Dove  and  the  pirate.  Prisoners 
anil  doves.  Genius  inspired  by  holiness.  Origin  of  Manhattan.  Anti- 
quities of  New  York.  The  fish  and  the  ring.  Animal  magnetism.  The 
soul  watching  its  own  body.  Second  sight  Birds.  The  snake  and  the 
white  ash.  Parrot.  Swallows.  Staten  Island.  Sailors'  snug  harbour. 
Florida  slave  trader.  Little  child  and  the  clover  blossom.  Music  and 
fire-works  at  Castle-garden.  Rockland  lake.  Major  Andre.  Dutch  far- 
mers. Flowers.  Music  and  light.  Music  of  the  planets.  Buining  bell- 
tower  of  Hamburgh.  Mysterious  mueic.  Mocking  bird  and  bob  o'-link. 
The  na'.ch  seller.  Beautiful  anecdote.  Horses  tamed.  Blackwell'a  Is- 
land. Long  Island  farms.  Sylvio  Pellico.  Model  alms-house.  Croton 
water.  The  fountains.  Capital  punishment.  Mercy  to  criminals.  Mrs. 
Fry.  Love-tokens.  Catholic  church.  Puseyism.  Anecdote?  of  the  I- 
rish.  Woman's  rights.  Lightning.  Daguerreotype.  Indians.  Swe- 
denborg  and  Fourier.  Snow  storm.  Cold-footed  and  warm-hearted  little 
ones.  Ministration*  of  sorrow.  May  day  in  New  York. 

45,  Conversations  on  Common  Things. 

Or  a  GUIDE  to  KNOWLEDGE.     By  A  LADT.    (  Miss  D.  L.  Dix.) 
THIS  volume  contains  a  familiar  description  of  about  four  hundred  useful 
and  ornamental  articles ;  such  as  are  met  with  in  every-day  life. 


46  to  52,  Tales  of  a  Grandfather, 

Being  TRUE  STORIES  from  the  Histories  of  Scotland  and  France, 
By  SIB  WALTER  SCOTT. 

THESE  tales  were  written  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  for  llie  use  of  his  grand- 
son. They  embrace  a  general  view  of. Scottish  and  French  History,  with 
a  selection  of  the  roost  interesting  incidents  related  in  the  unrivaled 
style  of  the  author. 

ABSTRACT  OF  COUTEWTS. — VOL  !.  England  and  Scotland.  Macbeth.  Nor- 
man conquest.  Sir  Wrn.  Wallace.  Kobcrt  Bruce.  Battle  of  Bannock- 
burn.  Government  of  Scotland.  Edward  Baliol.  Halidon  Hill.  Tour- 
nament. War  of  1365.  Murder  of  Karl  Douglas.  Wars  of  the  Doug- 
lases. Invasion  of  England.  Battle  of  Ftodden.  James  V.  Border 
freebooters.  Church  of  Rome.  The  Reformation.  War  with  England. 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots.  Murder  of  Rizzio.  Death  of  Darnley.  Regent 
Murray.  Civil  Wars.  Execution  of  Alary.  &c.  &c.  &.c. 

VOL.  II. — Progress  of  Civilisation.  Elizabeth.  James  VI.  Border  feuds. 
Wild  state  of  the  Western  Isles.  Donald  of  the  Hammer.  Scotsmen 
in  foreign  service.  Puritans  Covenanters.  Long  Parliament.  Charles 
I.  Civil  wars.  Graham  of  Montrose-  Religious  persecutions.  Crom- 
well's invasions.  Charles  II.  Exploits  of  Evan  Dbu.  \Vitchciaft. 
General  Monk.  &c.  «Scc.  &c. 

VOL.  III. — Church  affairs.  Episcopacy.  Conventicles.  Covenanters. 
Assassination  of  Bishop  Sharpe.  Graham  of  Ciaverhouse.  Battle  of 
Bothwcll  bridge.  Cameronians.  Duke  of  Monmouth.  Whig  and  Tory. 
Popeiy  and  the  Tent  Act.  William  and  -Mary.  Civil  war.  Battle  of 
Killiecrankie.  Pacification  of  the  Highlands.  Massacre  of  Glencoe. 
Darien  scheme.  Execution  of  Capt.  Green.  Queen  Anne.  The 
Union.  &c.  &c.  &c. 

VOL.  IV. — Mutual  dislike  between  Scots  and  English.  Chevalier  de  St. 
George.  The  Jacobites.  Dukes  of  Hamilton  and  Argyle.  Duchess 
of  Marlborough.  Bolinbroke  and  Oxford.  The  Highlands.  State  of 
parties.  Earl  of  .Mar.  Rebellion  of  1715.  The  Pretender.  Macin- 
tosh's descent  upon  Lothian.  Battle  of  Sheriffmuil.  Riots  in  Glasgow. 
The  Porteus  Mob.  &.c.  &.c.  &c. 

VOL.  V. — State  of  the  Highlands  and  Lowlands.  Frazer  lord  Lovat.  Sir 
Robert  Walpole.  George  I  and  IL  Marriage  and  adventures  of  the 
Chevalier.  Prince  Churico  Edward.  Invasion  of  Scotland  and  England. 
Possession  of  Edinburgh.  King  James  VIII.  Battle  of  Prestonpans. 
Battle  of  Falkirk.  Battle  of  Culloden.  Adventures  of  Prince  Charles, 
his  escape  and  death.  Conclusion.  &c.  &.c.  &c. 

VOL.  VI. — Account  of  the  Gauls.  Roman  Government.  Julian  the 
Apostate.  The  Goths.  Attila.  Conquests  of  Clovis.  The  Saracens. 
Charlemagne.  Louis  the  debonnaire.  Siege  of  Paris.  Feudal  system. 
Rollo  duke  of  Normandy.  Charles  the  simple.  War  with  Germany. 
Huso  Capet.  Henry  I.  Chivalry.  Saxon  conquest  of  England.  Nor- 
man conquest.  William  the  conqueror.  Philip  Augustus.  The  Cru- 
sades. Knights  of  St  John.  Wars  in  the  holy  land.  Quarrel  of  Louis 
and  Eleanor.  Henry  II.  of  England.  Thomas  a  Beckel.  Richard  Ccpur 
de  Lion.  The  Albigenses.  Invasion  of  England.  Queen  Blanche. 
Louis  the  lion  and  his  adventaree  in  the  holy  land.  &c.  &c.  <Scc. 

VOL.  VII. — Chants  of  Anjou.  Sicilian  Vespers  Philip  the  fair.  Knighti 
Templars.  Affairs  of  England.  Wars  between  England  and  France. 
Gunpowder.  Battle  of  Cressy.  Queen  Philippa.  Black  Prince.  Battle 
of  Poictiers.  The  Jacquerie  War  in  Normandy.  Don  Pedro  of  Castile. 
Bertrand  du  Guesclin.  Charles  the  wise.  Wars  in  Flanders.  Duke  of 
Burgundy.  Expeditions  against  the  Turks.  &c.  &c.  &c 


53,  Mental  and  Moral  Culture, 

And  POPULAR  EDUCATION.  By  S.  S.  RANDALL.  Gen.  Dep.  Su- 
perintendent of  Con. inon  Schools" in  the  State  of  New  York.  T« 
which  is  appended  a  SPECIAL  REPORT  on  COMMON  SCHOOL 
LIBRARIES  ;  prepared  in  pursuance  of  the  instructions  of  the  Su- 
perintendent of  Common  School*;  by  HUMIY  S.  RANDALL,  Super 
intcndent  of  CortUnd  County. 

CONTENTS. —  Chttp.  1  The  philosophy  of  education.  Chap.  II.  Physical, 
intellectual,  and  moral  culture.  C/iap.  III.  The  nature  and  mission  ot 
Genius.  Chap  IV.  Mental  philosophy.  Chap.  V.  Formation  and  de- 
velopement  of  character.  Chap.  VI.  Moral  res|K>nsibility.  Chap.  VII. 
Public  instruction.  Chap.  \  ill.  Colleges,  academies,  and  common 
schools,  jljipriidir.  Report  on  common  school  Libraries. 


54,  The  Librarian. 


A  Book  for  the  PARLOUR  and  for  the  SCHOOL  DISTRICT. 
CONTENTS. — Advantages  of  knowledge.  May.  Sleep.  The  comet.  Turk- 
ish scenes).  Hurul  sights  and  sound*.  Health.  The  lily.  Natural  bridge 
in  Virginia.  Eternity.  The  wren.  AnecdoUs  of  silk,  of  dwarfs,  of  bees, 
of  cranes,  of  a  Sandwich-islander,  of  the  grasshopper,  of  Bailors,  ofin- 
dians,  of  lobsters.  Human  tongue.  Eyes  of  fishes.  Visit  to  Lowell.  Cu- 
rious facts  in  natural  history.  Volcanos.  Facts  for  seamen  and  swim- 
mers. The  Missourium.  Blue  Beard.  Chinese  wall.  Casualties  of 
great  men.  Cooking  in  Persia.  Dutchman  and  bear.  Pillars  of  Hercu- 
les. Bucaniers.  Charades.  Immortality.  Sepulchres  of  kings.  Massa- 
chusetts fisheries.  Miagara  falls.  Mount  Holyoke.  The  farmers  daugh- 
ter. &.c.  &.c.  itc. 


56,  Historical  Tales 


Of  ILLUSTRIOUS  CHILDREN.    By  AGICKS  STRICKLAWD.     Author 

of  "  Lives  of  the  Queens  of  England.  "         With  Ten  Engravings. 
CONTENTS. — Outlined,  the  widow's  slave.     The  royal  brothers.     The  chnsn 
ofWareham.     Sons  of  the  conqueror.     Wolsey  bridge.    Judgment  of  Sir 
Thomas  More.     Lady  Lucy's  petition.     Historical  Summary. 


57,  Tales  of  the  Saxons, 


By  EMILT  TAYLOR.          fTM  right  F.Kgravingt. 

CONTENTS. — Haco  the  good.  Hereward  the  Saxon.  Edith  the  forester's 
daughter.  Manners  of  the  Saxons. 

{£f  The  object  of  the  two  last  mentioned  works  is  to  offer  a  series  of  moral 
and  instructive  tales,  each  founded  on  some  striking  authentic  fact  in 
English  History,  in  which  it  ia  the  author's  wish  to  convey,  in  a  pleasing 
form,  information  illustrative  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  era  coil 
nected  with  the  events  of  each  story. 


BOYS'  AXD  GIRLS'  LIBRARY. 

Includes  the  following  twelve  vols.  of  uniform  size. 

58.  Perilous  Adventures  of  Quintin  Harewood, 

AND  HIS  BROTHER  BRIAN,  is  ASIA,   AFRICA.   AND   AMERICA. 

Illustrated  with  Secenty  Engravings. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS. — Quintin's  birth-place,  Youthful  feats,  Advetv- 
ture  at  the  waterfall.  Boat  upset,  Lives  saved,  Visit  to  Paris,  Gaining  table, 
Fatal  disaster,  Voyage  to  Philadelphia,  Kentucky,  ^Kiink,  Cougar,  Narrow 
escape,  Snakes  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  Falls  of  Niagara,  New  York,  Sail 
to  Newfoundland,  .Midnight  adventure,  Beaver,  Cod  tishing,  Storm  alsea, 
Whale  fishery,  Icebergs,  Steamer  President,  Sea  horse,  Bear,  Otters, 
Wolves  and  Foxes,  Indians,  Mad  buftalo,  Montreal,  Adventures  among 
the  Indians,  Arrival  in  North  American  Ibresls,  Voyage  to  South  Ameri- 
ca, Water  spouts,  Driven  to  sea  in  a  boat,  Munkny  tight,  Alligators,  Ad- 
venture with  Robbers,  Jaguar  hunt,  Dangerous  passes  of  the  mountain, 
Electrical  eel,  Wild  horses,  Embark  lor  Africa,  Sailor's  yar:i,  Adventure 
with  a  ''on,  Isle  of  France,  Peter  Botte  mountain,  Arabia,  Red  Sea,  Cam- 
el fight.  Ostrich,  Caravan,  Plundered  by  the  Bedouins,  Ceylon,  Elephant 
bunt,  Trees  and  fruit  in  India,  Snakes,  Combat  ot  wild  beasts.  Wild  boar 
hunt,  Fight  between  an  Elephant  and  a  Rhinoceros,  Cave  of  Klephanta, 
Alligator  hunt,  New  Holland,  Mutineers,  Voyage  to  Liverpool,  <Stc.  &c 

59.  Farewell  Tales. 

By  Mrs.  HOFLAMD     With  Engravings. 

CONTAINING — Girls  I  have  known,  Dapple  and  his  Friends,  Village  Flo- 
rist, Young  Emigrant,  Helpless  Orphans,  Lost  Day,  Little  Rachel,  Young 
Angler,  Delightful  Morning,  Poor  little  Lucy,  Janetta  and  her  Jujubes, 
Salutary  Fear,  New  Flibbertigibbet. 

60  &  61.  Robinson  Crusoe. 

LIFE  ANI>  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBINSON  CRUSOE,  or  YORK, 
Mariner.  With  an  account  of  his  Travels  round  three  parts  of  the  globe. 
Written  by  himself.  In  2  volumes. 

This  edition  contains  the  whole  of  the  work  as  originally  written  by  the 
author,  and  i§  illustrated  by  Thirty  new  Engravings 

62.  Parley's  Bible  Stories. 

FOR  CHILDREN  AND  YOUTH,  with  Ensuring*.  Containing  a  se- 
lection of  the  most  remarkable  narratives  from  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments, related  in  a  style  to  attract  and  interest  yonn"  readers. 
CONTENTS. — Stories  from  the  Old  Testament — The  Creation,  Cain  and  Abel, 
Noah  and  the  flood,  Abraham,  Joseph,  Moses  and  the  Israelites,  Jew* 
wandering  forty  years,lsiaelites'  journey  to  Canaan,  Ruth,  Samuel,  David, 
David  and  Goliath,  Saul's  persecution  of  David,  Solomon,  Jeroboam, 
Elijah,  Elisha,  Jonah,  King  Hezekiah.  Daniel  and  Nebuchadnezzar,  Bel- 

shazzar's  feast  and  King  Darius,    King  Ahasuerus  and  the  Jews Yew 

Testament— Binl,  of  John  the  Baptist,  Birth  of  Christ,  Shepherds,  Wise 
men,  Passover,  Baptism,  Temptation,  Woman  of  Samaria,  Nobleman'* 
•on,  Draught  of  fishes,  Pool  of  Bethesda,  Widow  of  Nam,  Sower,  Murder 
of  John,  Loaves  and  fishes,  Storm,  Good  Samaritan,  Prodigal  SOB,  Rich 
man,  Little  children,  Lazarus,  Ten  Virgins,  Christ's  agony,  the  Denial, 
Crucifixion.  Resurrection. 


63.  Paul  Preston's  Voyages,  Travels, 

AND  REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES,  as  related  by  himself.      IUtu- 

trated  by  One  Hundred  and  Ten  Engravings. 

EXTRACT  FROM  CONTENTS. — Paul  Preston  and  his  parents,  Warwick  and 
Kenilwurth  castle,  Hazardous  enterprise,  Highwaymen,  Newfoundland, 
Sea  Voyage,  Fearlessness  of  sailors,  Taking  a  shark,  Superstitions  of  Bai- 
lors, Sword  fish,  Ireland,  Ship  on  tire,  Explosion,  Quebec,  Deer  limiting, 
Shetland  Islands,  Muelstioom,  Outtenburg,  Adventure  with  a  bear.  Bear 
hunt,  Forest  ou  fire,  Eagle  tight,  Language  of  brutes,  Long  Island  tanner 
and  Labrador  geese,  Young  tiger  and  dog,  Wolves,  Elephants,  Lapland, 
Northern  lights,  'raining  wild  animals,  Rein  deer,  Petersburg,  Statue  of 
Peter  the  Great,  Russian  robbers,  Death  of  the  robber  captain,  Sirange 
tale  of  a  Hippopotamus,  Moonlight  adventure,  Affecting  tale,  Sea  wolf, 
Holland  and  JVetJterlandx,  Siege  of  Antwerp,  Dutch  giant,  the  Rhine,  Sirit- 
zerlaiid,  Chamois  hunters,  Glaziers,  Monks  of  la  Trappe,  Fearful  precipice, 
Broken  bridge,  France,  Fight  between  a  horse  aud  d  lion,  Adventure  with 
a  wolf,  Spain,  Battle  between  the  French  and  the  Spaniards  and  Portu- 
geese,  Madrid,  Bull-tight,  the  Penitent,  Mysterious  murder,  Andalusian 
banditti,  Slave  ship,  Africa,  Algiers  and  the  French,  Huts  in  trees,  Greece, 
Temple  in  rnins,  Albanians  and  SulioU,  Pirates'  cave,  Constantinople, 
Mosque  of  St.  Sophia,  Dervishes,  Egypt,  the  Nile,  Hippopotamus,  Hy- 
aena, Giraffe  hunt,  Egyptian  antiquities,  Crocodiles,  Caravans,  Voyage 
across  the  Atlantic,  Paul  and  Frank  arrive  at  Boston,  &c.  &c. 

64.  Swiss  Family  Robinson: 

OR  ADVENTURES  OF  A  FATHER,  MOTHER,  AUD   FOUR  SONS,  ut 

A  DESERT  ISLAND.     Ten  Engravings  and  a  Map. 

The  genuine  progress  of  the  story  forming  a  clear  illustration  of  the  first 
principles  of  Natural  History,  and  many  branches  of  Science  which  most 
immediately  apply  to  the  business  of  life.  To  which  arc  added  Notes  of 
Reference,  explanatory  of  the  subjects  treated  of. 


65.  Boy's  Story  Book: 


O«     EDWARD'S     HOLIDAYS     WITH    HIS    COUSINS,    containing 

Twenty-Eight  Moral  Tales.     Ten  Engravings. 

CONTENTS.— The  Parrot.  The  Sacrifice.  The  little  friend.  The  Walk. 
Christmas  feast.  Cousin  Philip.  The  Ride.  Arrival  of  traveller*. 
Conversation.  The  Task.  New  year'*  day.  Th-i  Wonders.  Fairy 
tale.  Nosegays.  Tale  of  the  Woods.  Snake  in  the  grass.  Little  mo- 
ralist. Complete  gardener.  The  Island.  Copy  book.  Village  feast*. 
Generous  rivals.  The  Ring.  Zos.  Young  painter  The  Visit,  The 
Auricula.  The  Farewell. 


66  &  67.  Parent's  Assistant. 

By   MARIA    EDGEWORTH.   With  Thirty-Four  Engravings. 
CONTAINS  the    following  seventeen  excellent  Stories  for  Young  Person*. 

Tarlton.  Simple  Susan.       False    key.  Orphans. 

Lazy  Lawrence.  Basket  woman.    Birth  day  present.  Barring  out. 

Forgive  and  forget.        White  pigeon.       Little  Merchants.  Bracelet*. 

Waste  not,  want  not.   Eton  Montem.      Old  Poz.  Mimic. 

Mademoiselle  Panache. 
J£5~  Maria  Eclgewortb  is  universally  acknowledged  to  stand  at  the   head  of 

all  author*  of  book*  lor  young  people. 


tiS.  Casket  of  Gems. 


Being  a  collection  of   ORIGINAL    MORAL  TALES  illustrating  tb* 

following  Maxima,  with  Illustrations  to  rack: — 

Never  be  down-lieiirted.  Be  cheerful  Do  it  well.  Be  orderly.  Be  in  time. 
Be  humble.  Make  a  good  use  of  it.  Be  considerate.  Is  it  honest  ?  Be  use- 
ful. Be  steady.  Be  kind.  Set  about  it  directly.  Be  upright.  Be  tidy. 
Be  satisfied.  Envy  not  another.  Be  collected.  Think  Will  it  mend 
the  matter?  Be  grateful.  Do  not  deceive  yourself.  Beware  of  pride.  Elm 
tree  hall.  The  heavy  cross.  The  hard  task.  The  mud  dog.  Snowballing. 


69.  The  Evergreen : 


OR    STORIES    FOR    CHILDREN  AND  YOUTH,  by  WALTER  WEIT. 

Twenty  Kngravings. 

CONTENTS. — Forest  home,  Eleanor  Wilmot,  Balloon,  Happy  New  year,  In- 
undation, Naughty  boy  punished,  Noisy  Cecilia,  Ninepins,  Insolent  boy, 
Good  little  Mary,  Ellen,  Curiosity,  Young  teacher,  George,  Sailor  boy'» 
Return,  Truant  Emmeline,  the  Careless  girl,  Miss  Cecil,  Too  late  for  a 
ride,  Reward  of  benevolence,  Tom  Morrison,  Young  Robinson  Crusoe, 
Jane  Primrose,  Lion,  Grateful  Julian,  Pincushions,  Charles,  Fourth  of 
July,  Vain  girl,  Clouds  and  sunshine. 


70  to  89,  The  Rollo  and  Lucy  Books, 

By  JACOB  ABBOTT.     Comprising  the  following  volumes. 

1.  Rollo  learning  to  talk.  10.  Hollo's  correspondence. 

2.  Rollo  learning  to  read.  11    to  14.  Hollo's  philosophy. 

3.  Rollo  at  work.  15.  Lucy  at  play. 

4.  Rollo  at  play.  16.  Lucy  at  study. 

5.  Rollo  at  school.  17.  Lucy's  conversations. 

6.  Hollo's  vacation.  18.  Lucy's  stories. 

7.  Hollo's  travels.  19.  Lucy  on  the  mountain*. 

8.  Hollo's  experiments.  20.  Lucy  on  the  sea  shore. 

9.  Hollo's  museum. 


4  vol*. 


PRICES 

Of  the  various  sets  and  volumes,  neatly  and  strongly  full  bound  in  leathir. 
—FoR  CASH.— 


Lib.  of  Entertaining  and  Useful 

Reading.    12  vols.        -         5.00 

Any  of  the  vols.  separately  .50 
Lib.  of  Inst.  Amusement.  6  vol*.  2.50 

Any  vols.  seperately,  -  .50 
Belzoni's  Egypt.  ...  .50 
True  Ptories.  -  .50 

Around  the  World.  2  vols.      -     1.50 
Zenobia.  2  vols.  -        -        1.25 

Life  of  Walter  Scott.  4  vola.       3.00 
Parley's  Magazine.  10  vols.        7.50 

Any  vols.  seperately    -        -     1.00 


Sandford  and  Merton.  -  -  .75 
Dymond's  Morality.  .50 

New  Home,  &  Forest  Life.  3v.  2.00 
Letters  fiom  New  York.  -  -  .75 
Common  Things.  -  .50 

Tales  of  a  Grandfather.  7  vols.  3.50 
Mental  and  Moral  Culture.  -  .50 
Librarian.  -  -  .50 

Parley's  Magazine,  vol.  xi.  -  1.00 
H  istorical  &  Saxon  Tales.  2  v.  1 .00 
Boys' and  Girls' Lib.  12  vola  5.00 
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